Oswald
by sweetyukibo8246
Summary: Sequel to 'Ozzie'. Story begins one month later. Rated T for language, suggestive subject matter, etc.
1. Chapter 1

_Introduction_

So many things have changed in the past few months. When I first returned to Gotham; I was barely making ends meet as a schoolteacher, living in a dangerous part of town and a stone's throw away from a dangerous mobster. I often felt as if I was adrift in the vast ocean, hoping to someday find a haven or land. Oswald Cobblepot became that haven for me. He swooped back into my life, despite our parting ways years ago. He gave me shelter, protection, clothing, occupation, friendship, and now affection. The cynical part of me was wondering at what price did these gifts come; surely, he was wanting something in return. And what could I offer him? I was an average looking, dull-witted, and a weak woman; but I would try hard to make a difference, not only to Oswald but in this city. Soon after we started dating, Ozzie offered to get me my old job back, but I couldn't get a job by deceitful means or by intimidation. Although he seemed annoyed at my response to his offer, I held firm in this decision. Instead, I started volunteering at a homeless shelter, which gave me a method of benefitting the city and my time singing at the club gave me a chance to help with his business; thereby providing at least a little repercussion to his generosity.

For a while, this was enough to occupy me. Now that Ozzie and I were officially in a relationship, he insisted on giving me a protection detail. This meant that anytime I left the apartment, one of his associates would accompany me. I appreciated his concern for me, but I didn't like the idea of being under watch all the time. Despite their relative silence most of the time, I could feel their scrutinizing gaze with every turn I would make. I've always valued my independence, at least periodically. However, I also understood that this was their job, so I attempted to make the best of the situation by getting to know them. All of them seemed to have been led into a path of darkness and violence in order to survive in this city; most were former gang members and jail birds. The only associate that I would never see was Butch, since he was constantly with Ozzie. During various conversations, men told me about why he had a scar on his head and the twitching that I noticed before; Victor Zsasz, a professional assassin that was formerly Don Falcone's number one hit-man, brainwashed Butch to be Ozzie's servant. This broke my heart and I wanted to help him somehow. _No one should be kept against their will... _I wracked my brain trying to find a way to release him from his mental prison. Even if it would take Oswald's man away from him.

A few times at the homeless shelter, I was harassed by a few of the men that stayed there as well as some that volunteered there. They would try to touch me, say vulgar things to me, etc. But I saved from the harassers by Ozzie's associates, often simply by intimidation; but as a result, most people at the shelter became afraid of me. When I interacted with the children, their parents quickly took them away and admonished them for 'bothering' me; men and women would avoid eye contact with me and speak with me as little as possible. So, with a heavy heart, I decided to end my volunteer work there. It was no good for me to frighten those in need, so I assured the director of the shelter that I would continue my support by different methods. Although I wanted desperately to continue to serve the citizens of Gotham, I knew that I now had a reputation that would be almost impossible to overcome. I handed the director of the shelter my nametag and shook his hand.

The car was waiting for me outside of the shelter, and one of Ozzie's new associates was waiting for me. Jay was a younger man with long, dark hair and an eyepatch covering his right eye. He was one of the quieter men in Ozzie's entourage, so I didn't bother to strike a conversation with him in the car. As we were riding in the car, I tried to think about how to fulfill my promise to the director of the homeless shelter. After a while, inspiration finally struck; just in time for the car to arrive at my next destination.


	2. Chapter 2

_The D'Veran Café_

Ozzie and I would have lunch together every other day; sometimes in my apartment, sometimes in his new mansion, and sometimes in restaurants around the city. Our lunches would be filled with reminiscence, sharing of hopes and dreams, and more. This time, I met him at the D'Veran Café located six blocks away from the club. This was our first meal together after my resigning from the shelter, so I was not as cheerful as I've been before. After telling him about my decision, I asked Ozzie if we could host a charity concert benefiting the shelter. He was reluctant, but I pleaded my case and he surrendered. "You really are a saint, aren't you?" he asked me with humor in his tone. "Far from it…" I replied, "I just want to help where I can. Besides, if we are wise in our advertisement, we can attract a new customer base to the club. That would be a win-win I would say!" Ozzie laughed and looked at me with pride, "Well, Ms. James, it looks like I've made a businesswoman out of you!"

_A week later_

_Oswald's club_

A week later, the concert was to take place at the club. With the extra time on my hands, I was able to create flyers, mail outs, and news articles to distribute all over Gotham. Fortunately, I was able to get Oswald to help me in his spare time as well. A couple of the other performers at the club were classical musicians, a pianist and a violinist; but I knew that wouldn't be enough. So, I contacted the Gotham Symphony Orchestra and the Gotham Choral Society to get a few more performers. The director of the shelter would be officiating the concert and event, speaking between some of the selections. Overall, I was excited and nervous at the same time. But it was to help others, and that motivated me to keep going.

The night had arrived, I again wore the dress that I deemed 'the Starlight dress', thinking that it would bring me luck. Tonight's selections would be completely classical, which I figured would appease the wealthier in the audience; and it happened to be my preferred style of music. Unfortunately, Ozzie had some important business to attend to but promised that he would come after it was completed. As disappointed as I was that he wouldn't be able to join us, it was a little difficult to keep my spirits up; but the other musicians seemed excited. They hoped that this evening would help them land more gigs in the future, so they were quite motivated to perform well. Anthony had made sure that there were enough drinks ordered to last the night and cleared the tables to set up chairs at the front of the space. Now it was time to open the doors.

_Thirty Minutes Later_

The space was quite packed with people. As I walked out on the stage, I saw so many tuxedos and evening gowns that I felt like it was a strange dream. I was used to performing for Oswald's normal patrons, but this had a vastly different atmosphere and caused my nerves to ignite. Taking a deep breath, I spoke into the microphone to thank everyone for attending and to introduce the performers of the evening. Once that was done, it was time to begin. The selection I chose was Vivaldi's Sovente Il Sole Aria. By now my eyes had adjusted to the spotlight, I was able to watch the audience as they were watching me. I saw a few of the members that seemed to be enjoying the piece, while others seemed quite bored. One audience member that I was surprised to see was a young man with dark hair, he was undoubtedly the youngest person in the room. His pale face was serious, and his gaze seemed to be going beyond what was in front of him; like he had something on his mind. I kept surveying the audience throughout the song and after I hit the final, low note; I was able to enjoy my accompanying violinist and pianist as they finished the piece. As the applause rang through the club, I felt the familiar sweet relief that often comes after a performance.

_An hour later_

We had scheduled a couple of intermissions through the night so that we could converse with the patrons and thank them for coming. I was able to shake several hands and provide my gratitude not only for their attendance but also their complements. After a few people, I was suddenly face-to-face with the young man that I noticed earlier. There was a gentleman with short grey hair with him that seemed an athletically fit 50-year-old; his blue eyes seemed to hide an interesting past. The young man introduced himself as Bruce Wayne and his butler, Alfred Pennyworth. They both thanked me for my performance. I remembered Bruce's name from a news story regarding his inheriting the prominent Wayne Enterprises when his parents were killed over a year before. Not wanting to remind him of the tragedy, I didn't mention it. After a few well-spoken pleasantries, Mr. Wayne excused himself and his companion followed.

Upon turning around, I was then in front of a tall, thin man with dark hair and eyes that carried arrogance like an accessory. I couldn't help but noticed his ears and nose were large compared to the rest of his face, causing me to mentally chastise myself for this observation. He took my gloved hand and introduced himself as Theo Galavan. Another gentleman came next to him; his bald head and low beard that lined his chin were distinctive enough, but he also wore rose colored circular glasses low on his nose. He also introduced himself to me as Dr. Hugo Strange. Despite Mr. Galavan introducing himself first, it seemed that Dr. Strange couldn't help but enthusiastically complement my singing. It caused me to be quite self-conscious and embarrassed; I was only saved when Mr. Galavan politely interrupted the conversation by asking about whether this club was owned by myself. I corrected him by saying that Mr. Oswald Cobblepot was the owner of the place, but unfortunately couldn't be there that night. He seemed more interested in Oswald than in the night's events and he asked many questions about him that stood out to me as unusual for a normal conversation. I did my best to keep my responses vague and guarded, but it was difficult to do so with this stranger's intimidating presence.

_Later that night_

It was such a relief to change out of the dress and change to my pajamas. I spent the past hour helping the other club employees put everything back in order once all the guests left. We reached our fundraising goal of $25,000 which made it all worthwhile. So now I was back in my apartment and getting ready to relax with a glass of Earl Grey tea before bed. As I was waiting for the water to boil, I heard a knock at the door. "Who would be here at this time of night?" I asked myself as my nerves were ignited with fear. Part of me wanted to act like I wasn't home, but I knew that they would hear the whistle of the kettle as it just started to ring. I quickly took the kettle off the eye of the stove and yelled, "Who is it?!" "Delivery!" I heard from behind the door. "Just a minute!" I had to get my housecoat to save myself from embarrassment and went to the peephole to confirm that it was a delivery person. He was holding a bouquet of red roses in his hand. I felt a smile grow on my face as I opened the door. After thanking the delivery man, I brought the flowers covered in plastic inside. It had been a while since I received flowers from Ozzie, so the vase was ready for them already. There was a card, but I didn't read it until I put the flowers in water. I expected to see a message from Ozzie and started to read: "I look forward to hearing your lovely voice again. Congratulations on your wonderful performance. Sincerely, Hugo Strange."

I couldn't believe what I was reading, why would this stranger go through the trouble of sending me flowers? For some reason, I felt a chill through my body when I read the message again. The doctor seemed rather level-headed, if not enthusiastic about the music. I wasn't given the impression that he would do something like this. The logical part of my mind was admonishing me for over-reacting while my emotions were in a slight tizzy. _Should I write him? Tell him that I am already in a relationship? Or am I making a mountain out of a molehill?_ After mulling over it while finishing my tea, I decided to just appreciate the gesture and move on. I doubted that I would ever see him again anyway. So, after finishing my cup of tea, I put my cup in the sink and went to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

_The next day_

As I rode in one of Ozzie's cars, being driven by one of his drivers; I was debating on whether I should tell him about the flowers that Dr. Strange had given me. Seeing them this morning as I was leaving the apartment, I was reminded of the unusual feeling that the gesture gave me. But then remembering Ozzie's temper, I decided to not mention it. I looked at the sky as we reached the driveway of the mansion, noting that clouds were beginning to gather in the distance that were quite menacing. _I should have brought my umbrella_ I thought when the car stopped. I walked around the second car in front of the mansion and reached the front door. I was about to knock, when the door suddenly opened; and Detective Gordon almost ran into me as he was exiting.

"Oh! Detective Gordon! How nice to…" He seemed quite agitated as he interrupted, "I'm not a detective anymore." He paused a moment and then continued, "You're…you're Ms. James, aren't you?" "Well, yes, it's wonderful to see you again, sir." I backed up, allowing him to cross the threshold and close the door behind him. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a low, gravely voice. "I'm here to see Oswald, we have lunch together." His eyes flashed in anger and he grabbed my arm firmly, "He's dangerous. You need to leave, and never come back; do you understand me?" _I know_, the cynical part of my mind agreed. I looked down at his hand, and he released me impulsively. "We…we have an understanding, Mr. Gordon…" I said with as firm a tone as I could muster, to show him that I was aware of my situation. "Thank you for your concern. May I ask, how are you doing? Why are you…?" I was going to ask him why he wasn't detective anymore, but he must have interpreted my question as something else, because he responded, "Cobblepot asked me to…never mind. Please, just…do what I tell you and leave."

As Mr. Gordon pulled out of the driveway, I disregarded his warning and went inside. I saw Ozzie seated at the long dining room table in the large antique looking wooden chair just in front of the fireplace. One thing that I liked most about the mansion was the number of candelabras that were lit all around the room, giving the impression of a medieval castle. Butch was holding a leather bag in his hands and was leaving the room, nodding to me as he said, "Ms. James…" "Oh, Butch…How are you? Are your headaches still causing you issues?" "Butch!" I heard Ozzie yell from the end of the room, "Stop bothering Ms. James and get that bag to the office! Now!" Butch twitched his head and muttered an apology as he left the room. "Fee!" Ozzie shouted in a friendly manner, "I'm so…sorry for not being there last night…" he got up from his seat as I approached, "business got in the way…"

I couldn't control my tongue any longer, "Ozzie, it isn't right…." His face was confused, "What is?..." "I've been made aware of Butch's situation, how he was…programmed…to follow your orders." The longer I spoke, Ozzie's face melted from contentment to sternness. Suddenly he snapped a fake smile over his lips as he replied, "He's just a loyal associate, that's all…" "Ozzie…." I said with a serious tone, "That isn't true is it? It's horrible to hold someone captive, especially in their own mind. Please, let him get some help. I'm sure that he would be grateful." "That is out of the question!" he yelled as he slapped the table. This caused me to jump and he immediately tried to reign in his outburst. "Fee…" he rounded the corner of the table to walk slowly toward me. "You don't…understand, how things are in Gotham. Things are…very different from when we were children." He took my hand and looked into my eyes. "Fee, I have to…do some difficult things… in order to maintain my position. I need allies to do so." I snatched my hand away from his, one thing I hated was to be patronized. "He isn't an ally though, is he? He's a slave." I could see a spark of anger in his eyes, but I couldn't back down now. I turned my back to him and asked, "And are your allies required to do things for you, to stay in your good graces?" "Well…it's quid pro quo. They do things and receive compensation in return." The moment had come. There was a thought that had been culminating for a while now. It was now coming to a head, now was the time that I would ask about his involvement with the deaths of Ethan and the stranger that attacked me. So, I spun around and snapped, "And do those things include murder?" His face was flabbergasted and he struggled to find words as I continued, "Tell me the truth," I couldn't help but bring this nagging suspicion to light, "did you have the man that attacked me and my ex-fiancé killed last month? Don't…lie to me." I looked deep into his eyes, waiting.

"Fine!" he snapped sarcastically, "I admit it. I had them killed for what they did to you." He came close and placed his hand on my cheek where my scar was. "I did it for you. And don't think I'll let Maroni's man stay safe in prison for long. He will regret what he did to you, mark my words." His intense gaze brought terror into my heart, I could feel tears fighting to escape my eyes and I struggled to keep from sobbing right in front of him. I held my breath for a moment, and my anger urged me to speak. "You promised…" I whispered. "What?" he said quietly with confusion. "You promised me!" I yelled as I swatted his hand away from me. The tears started flowing and my voice rang around the stone walls as I backed away from him, "You promised me that you wouldn't put a hand on him! He was a monster, but he should have been arrested, not murdered! And worse than that…you played with my words, didn't you! 'I won't lay a hand on him', isn't that what you said?!" He was about to speak, but I knew exactly what he was going to say, so I said it first, "But you didn't lay a hand on them did you? You had your men do it didn't you?! Was it Butch? Did he have a say in the matter, or was it an order?" My last words felt like venom when they left my mouth.

"As a matter of fact, it was an order. And I would do it again in a heartbeat!" he seemed to hiss. "You think you're better than me, don't you? You…the angel of light, and me, a demon of the dark. Well, guess what, Fee…this is Gotham! And in Gotham, the demons come out on top, and the angels have their wings clipped, if they're lucky. Everything I've done was to _protect…you_!" at this point he was yelling, throwing his arms around to extenuate his points. He brought his face next to my ear and whispered, "In this town, friends are few and far between. I must rule with discipline, or the city will run into chaos. If I show _any_ sign of weakness, then these men will not hesitate to stab me in the back. I have relied on my own wits to get here, and I _will not_ apologize for it." His last words made me shiver, not only with the subtle acidity, but also with his breath tickling my skin.

"But…Ozzie…" I pleaded as he withdrew his face, "It's one thing to work for you for wages, but Butch needs help. Please…" He limped back toward his chair, "Gabe!" he yelled as he sat down again. I heard the large man behind me, "Yeah boss?" "Please take Ms. James home, she won't be joining me for lunch, after all." I didn't hear a response, but I imagined him nodding. I didn't want to leave yet, but I could tell that Ozzie wouldn't hear another word about the subject. "Ozzie, I will go. But I hope you'll at least think about what I said." I turned to leave; but before exiting the room, I turned to face him again and concluded with, "And you're wrong. I know that you are not a demon, and I am certainly not an angel." His face looked down in contemplation, and I left before he could respond.


	4. Chapter 4

_The next day_

_What the hell was I thinking?_ I asked myself as I was sitting on the bus, my body being swayed by the vehicle's turns, stops, and frequent bumps. _He must hate me now…and who can blame him? I've criticized his way of life after he's achieved the position he's been struggling to gain. But I'm worried about Butch, and Ozzie for that matter. If things are as fragile as he said, he may get hurt, or worse._ I decided to write him a letter to apologize, but first I had an engagement to attend to. The letter was in my purse, waiting to be placed in a mailbox. The bus finally reached the stop that I was waiting for, and I got off. The concrete was still wet from the storm the night before, and unfortunately, a giant puddle greeted me when I landed. Thankfully I wasn't going to a formal event, otherwise I would have been very disappointed.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kapelput. How are you?" Ozzie's mother greeted me at her door and invited me inside. Even though we had a fight, I didn't want to cancel my regular visits with his mother. Now that I understood her condition a little better, I was able to maintain a positive correspondence with her. We started a conversation regarding her younger years, and she reminisced about a romantic rendezvous with the son of an employer while she was a cook. "Oh, Dear! I haven't even told Oswald this story!" she tapped one of my hands with hers, "You are very easy to talk to my dear!" I smiled in appreciation and there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it…" I said to allow Mrs. Kapelput to remain seated. Her door didn't have a peephole so I couldn't see who was there. I opened the door just enough that was allowed with the sliding lock in place. I saw a tall, thin woman with olive skin and long raven hair pulled in a tight ponytail. She was dressed in black leather from head to foot and looked as if she was a dominatrix, and I hoped that she wasn't. "Can I help you?" I asked through the gap between the door and the door frame. "Is Gertrude Kapelput in?" "May I ask who's calling?" I responded cautiously. Her lips curled in a smirk and she suddenly kicked the door open, knocking me down to the floor.

Mrs. Kapelput shouted in shock as the intruder stomped in, along with a couple of men dressed in black and carrying guns. Before I could react, the woman roughly grabbed Ozzie's mother by the arm, and threw her to one of the men. "Stop!" I screamed as I got up and tried to force him to release her, but suddenly I was hit across the face that made me fall to the floor again. My vision was blurred for a moment, but I still tried to get up again. I heard a gun cock and I saw a gun barrel pointed at me being held by the woman. "You better stay down if you know what's good for you," she said, "we're only here for the old bat." "No, please. Take me instead!" I pleaded. I could see the gears in her head working through her eyes as I saw Mrs. Kapelput being gagged by the man that held her in my peripheral vision. "Please! Let her go!" I screamed at him. "Enough!" the woman looming over me yelled. "Take them both!" I felt a large hand scoop me up roughly from the floor, causing me to cry out before a cloth was forced between my lips and I felt plastic ties forcing my wrists together behind me. Before long, we were being shoved into the back of a black van and the sliding door slammed shut; separating us from the outside world.

As we were being transported, I did my best to try to comfort Mrs. Kapelput; which was quite difficult with gags and our hands being kept behind us. I was able to move my body so that my back was against hers so that I could hold her hand in mine. She was weeping as we were struggling to remain upright with the van driving through the city. I tried to keep track of where we were going, like Sherlock Holmes in that movie that I liked; but alas that was fiction, and the situation that we were in was reality. I lost track of where we were after only a few turns. After what seemed like an hour, the van stopped, and we were dragged out of the van to a large warehouse. We walked for several minutes beneath greenish florescent lights and rusting architecture, our footsteps echoing over the concrete floor. I could smell something unpleasant and I could hear seagulls in the distance. _We must be near the river_ I thought as we approached an opening in the wall with bars, like a cell. The woman opened the door with a key from her pocket and one of the men ungagged Mrs. Kapelput and used a knife to release her from her bonds. She was then forced in the cell and the door clanged behind her. "No! please, please let me go! Felicity, please help me! Oswald, please! Oswald…" she broke down into bitter weeping and I was able to fight my way out of my captor's grasp. With this new freedom, I ran to the cell, and began trying to comfort Mrs. Kapelput the best I could.

The freedom was short lived, however, when I was yanked by my arm back to where I was before. The woman came up to me and studied my face. "Who are you, anyway?" she yanked the cloth out of my mouth so that it fell down around my neck. "How do you know her?" she gestured to Mrs. Kapelput. _Should I tell her? I don't understand what they're after. Are they after a ransom from Ozzie? If so, I shouldn't tell her, right? But what if I can convince them to let her go? Maybe if I'm more valuable to them, they'll let her go. _As I was debating, she yelled in my face. "Answer me!" This shocked me out of my inner dialogue, and I answered on impulse, "I'm Felicity James…I'm Oswald Cobblepot's girlfriend…Please, let her go. I promise that I'll cooperate, and he'll want me back so…you won't need her right?" "Hmm" she responded, again scrutinizing my face when she said, "James, huh? You wouldn't be related to Mayor James, would you?"

I was again faced with a dilemma. I was indeed related to the mayor of Gotham, though we were estranged. He was my father's brother, but ever since we moved away from Gotham; they lost touch, so I doubted that he would even know what I look like now, let alone that I was back in the city. "Yes…" I admitted quietly, "But we haven't spoken in years." Suddenly, her cellphone rang. She answered it quickly with a "Yeah?" While she was talking on the phone, I asked my captor quietly if I could just talk to Gertrude a minute. He nodded and walked with me over to the cell opening. Mrs. Kapelput was still weeping while sitting on the cot that was in the cell. I again did my best to console her, apologizing that she was in this situation and that I couldn't save her. She got up and came to the bars, reaching through them and cupping my face in her hands, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears that were on my face. "Köszönöm angyalom. Isten védje meg téged és drága Oswald" she said. Though I didn't understand what she was saying, my heart was moved, nonetheless. I said a quick prayer for both of us, and suddenly I was yanked away from the bars a final time.


	5. Chapter 5

_Later_

I had no idea where we were going, but I was loaded back into the van and we were driving again. As we rode in silence, I was wracking my brain on how to get out of the situation and to save Mrs. Kapelput. Hopefully Ozzie would notice that we were missing and would call the police or even Mr. Gordon. After a while, we reached our destination and the man that was sitting beside me put the gag back in my mouth. By now, my wrists were screaming in pain from the sharp plastic edges of the ties cutting into my skin. Suddenly, a blindfold was forced over my eyes, causing me to unconsciously exclaim through my gag. I was then led out of the van and we started walking quickly. I could hear traffic so I knew we were back in the city, and I could hear our footsteps on concrete, but that was the best I could determine. I could feel the difference between us being outside and inside, and after walking inside for a bit; I could hear the bing of an elevator, the doors opening, and we got inside the elevator. The familiar lurch of the box caused me to almost lose my balance, but I was still able to stay on my feet. I counted the number of floors that we ascended by the bell rings. After the 25th ring, I could hear the doors open and we stepped through the opening, walked down a hallway with what sounded like tile beneath our feet, and turned right. After stepping inside what I assumed was a room, we walked in a few steps and I was forced to sit in a chair.

I heard a deep voice exclaim enthusiastically, "Ms. James! So nice of you to join us!" I didn't recognize the voice and I couldn't respond with the cloth in my mouth. "This was certainly an unexpected surprise, and of course I asked Tabitha to bring you here so that we could have another guest to our party. Unfortunately, you're too early and so our other guest hasn't arrived yet. Therefore, you'll have to just settle with me for now. Thank you, Tabitha, please fetch our other guest." I heard her footsteps leave the room. "Oh! Forgive me, you must be terribly uncomfortable." After a moment, I felt cold metal between my hands and suddenly the pressure of the ties was released. I unconsciously rubbed my wrists to relieve their pain, but I wasn't brave enough to remove my gag and blindfold yet. My captor must have realized this and started to chuckle. "Here, allow me." The blindfold was removed from my face and my eyes closed to adjust to the suddenly bright light.

Once my eyes were ready, I looked around the space. I was seated at a long table with candelabras in the center, there were glass doors in front of me that showed the skyline of the city. Between the glass doors stood a couple of tall, golden figures holding a light in each of their hands and reaching toward the sky. I risked looking around to see who was in the room with me. The figure beside me was tall, so I had to lift my head to see his face. Suddenly, I recognized him as the man I had met at the charity concert, though unfortunately I couldn't remember his name. There were many people that I met that night and I am terrible with names. But I did remember his face, how could I not? As distinctive as it was, anyone would remember him. He reached for my hand and examined my wrist and tsked. "I apologize. My sister can be a little rough sometimes." I wanted to yank my hand out of his, but I remembered the situation I was in. _If I cooperate, maybe I can convince him to release Mrs. Kapelput and keep me instead._ He used his finger to take the gag out of my mouth by sliding it down my chin. He smiled when the task was done.

"So…Tabitha mentioned that you are related to Mayor James, is that right?" He circled the table and stood across from me. "Y..yes sir…" "Oh! There's no need for that. You can call me Theo." That's when I remembered his name, Theodore Galavan. "And may I call you Felicity? Such a lovely name." he paused for a moment, "unfortunate that the name doesn't match the face." I lowered my head in embarrassment for just a moment, but lifted it again when I spoke. "Please, Mr. Galavan," he gave me a chastising look, but I ignored it, "release Mrs. Kapelput, she's innocent." He lifted his finger to wave it in front of me in rejection. "I can't do that. I need her to get Mr. Cobblepot to cooperate with my plans." "But…I'm his girlfriend, surely you don't need two hostages to get what you want?" "You…are surprisingly helpful, aren't you?" he released a soft chuckle as he lowered his finger and walked slowly toward a desk that was located to the right of the table that I was seated at.

He sat on the edge of the desk and rested his hands on the edge. "That is true…you could also serve my purposes." He must have seen the desperation on my face, because he smiled wickedly. "But you just want her to be released, don't you? Hmm…you are a rare breed in this city, truly selfless. And there is the added bonus of you being related to the mayor, what luck!" he clapped his hands and held them there. Then he lifted both of his pointing fingers and they met his clefted chin. "But, then again, the plan is already in motion and it would be pointless to change it now." He got up from the desk and walked slowly toward me, I unconsciously moved my body away from him in the chair. He knelt down next to me and whispered in my ear, "Unfortunately, I must decline your request. For you see, blood is thicker than water." Some part of me, deep inside, wanted to spit in his face; but resisted the almost instinctual compulsion. There was no point in provoking this man.

"So…" he said as he withdrew his face from my close proximity, "I need to go run an errand, make a phone call….will you just wait here till I get back? By then, our other guest should be here. Boyd will keep you company." He gestured to my captor, indicating that he was referring to him. Then, Theodore left the room; leaving me with the remaining one of the two men that took us from the apartment. There were several minutes of silence, only broken by the sounds of city life from outside the room. I had no intention of trying to escape at this point; it was no use if I didn't know where Mrs. Kapelput was being held. My best bet would be to cooperate till I can get some clues or something to help find her, then I would try to escape. Although I'm sure most people would get out first, then try to search later; but I never was a very smart person.

"Um…Boyd? Would you like to have a seat? I'm not going anywhere…" I didn't receive a response for a couple of seconds, then I heard the seat next to me scrape across the tile floor. The large man sat in the chair next to mine and rested his hand on the table with a gun still being held in it. I heard him sigh and then he was silent again. I closed my eyes and lowered my head in silent prayer, that's all I could do in this moment. The image of Mrs. Kapelput in that cell caused me to cry quietly again. I prayed for her, I prayed for Ozzie, I prayed that whatever Mr. Galavan was planning that he would change his mind. But, as usual, I heard no response. Boyd cleared his throat next to me and got up from his chair. I heard his soft footsteps walk toward the desk in the room, then return. He cleared his throat again, this time to get my attention. I looked up and saw a tissue in front of my face. I looked up at him and he gestured with his face for me to take it. I thanked him softly and took his offering.


	6. Chapter 6

_Three hours later_

My backside was sore from sitting in that chair for so long. It was not cushioned at all and I felt it. The sun was setting, and I was able to enjoy the beautiful colors of the sky, but not for long. I then heard the elevator bell in the distance, voices rang through the hall as they approached. Boyd quickly got up from his seat and resumed his position from when Galavan left. "Yes, Mr. Mayor, this space has quite the view. Perfect for our meeting, I hope you don't mind…" I then saw Galavan accompanied by my uncle. He surveyed the room for a minute and then his eyes settled on me. The glance was one of confusion and he asked, "Wait a minute, I thought this was going to be a private meeting, who is this?" "Don't you recognize her? Take a closer look…" Uncle Aubrey walked closer to me; I could see the years that had passed since our last meeting in his appearance. He had a receding hairline and his face had gotten looser. But I recognized his eyes and his voice almost immediately. It seemed that he didn't recognize me, much as expected. "I'm sorry…" he turned back to Galavan, "I don't know her, who is she?" "Oh! You disappoint me Mayor James!" He came over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, causing me to flinch. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"I'm…Felicity James…" I said with a defeated voice. I could see my uncle's eyes flash with recognition. "Felicity? Michael's girl?" His face changed to one of loss, like he regretted the years that had passed. He came over to me and examined my face closer and seemed to confirm the question of authenticity. "Oh my God! Look how you've grown! I..I can't believe that you're here! I thought that I would never see you again! How are you? What are you doing here?!" He then looked at Galavan and his demeanor changed to one of suspicion, "What is going on here? Why is she here?" "Well, Mr. Mayor, I wanted to surprise you. After all, she surprised me so I thought I would share the amusement." Uncle Aubrey turned back to me and asked, "Felicity, will you please tell me what's going on? Why are you back in Gotham?" Before I could respond, Galavan interrupted, "I'm sorry, but we don't have time right now for catching up." I then saw Tabitha re-enter the room, she was dressed in a short, dark sleeveless dress with her hair down and she was holding a large box with a leather handle on top.

"What is that?" my uncle asked. "It's a box!" Galavan said with sarcastic enthusiasm and it was placed on the table. Tabitha then took a small key and unlocked it, opening one side of it. "As you can see," Galavan continued, "an empty box…Mr. Mayor, I want you to put it on your head." "What?!" he responded with anger. "I want…you…to put the box…on your head." Galavan gestured to him like he was a toddler learning how to pick up a toy. "Like Hell! Who the Hell do you think you are?!" Galavan took a deep breath through his nose and said with an exasperated voice, "Well, I was hoping that you would just cooperate, but…" I didn't notice Tabitha was next to me till I suddenly felt my hair being tugged harshly in the back of my skull. I hissed in pain and Uncle Aubrey yelled, "No! Let her go! You Son-of-a-Bitch!" he yelled at Galavan and looked like he was going to fight him. But he didn't seem fazed by the outburst, but instead shook his head in feigned disappointment. "Now Mr. Mayor, is that any way for a public official to talk? What will your constituents think?" The back of my head was screaming in pain, but I refused to cry because of it. I wanted desperately to fight, but with Boyd close by with a gun, I knew it was useless. So instead I gripped the chair's arms to cope.

Galavan smugly said, "Now…you have two choices. Choice A, put on the box and spare your niece a rather unpleasant experience; or choice B, refuse again and watch my sister use her vast skills on Ms. James…your choice." My uncle's face was that of helpless terror, he looked at my face and then he pursed his face in defeat. "Uncle Aubrey…" I said with a pleading voice, "Don't do it! Get out of here! Please!" The pain increased as Tabitha pulled my hair even more, but I still refused to cry out. "Stop!" he yelled, "Alright!" he said as he picked up the box and put it around the back of his face, the opening still showing his face. "Just…let her go." "Surprising…" Galavan responded, "It seems like your niece has more gumption than you do, Mr. Mayor." He walked up to my uncle and placed his hand on top of the box. "I guess that's to be expected for the woman dating Oswald Cobblepot." Uncle Aubrey's face looked at mine in shock, but he didn't respond. "Tabbie, please release Ms. James." She roughly released my hair and allowed me to relax a little in the chair.

"Please, Mr. Galavan…don't do this. Just let him go, let Mrs. Kapelput go, please…" I pleaded. This seemed to strengthen my uncle's resolve and he said, "You'll never get away with this!" Galavan made a deep sigh, "Alright, that's enough chatter." Suddenly, he slammed the door of the box shut and locked it. I screamed, "No! Uncle Aubrey!" I heard his yelling through the box and he futilely tried to open it. Galavan guided him to the chair next to me and I grabbed at the lock, trying to break it. I yelled as my tears streamed down my face, I heard Galavan's voice, but I didn't hear what he said. Without warning, I was then yanked out of my chair and dragged toward the door by Boyd. For the first time that night, I really fought him and screamed at the top of my lungs. Tabitha laughed and Galavan turned his back on me. When we got to the elevator, Boyd took out his gun and held it to my side, causing me to gasp and silence myself. "Why?" I whispered, and the silent man gave no answer.


	7. Chapter 7

While we were in the elevator, Boyd replaced the blindfold and the gag. He also used another plastic tie on my wrists. I wanted to ask him where we were going, but obviously that wasn't an option. After the elevator went all the way back down, Boyd held my shoulder and firmly forced me out of the elevator. We walked for about a minute, and then I was loaded into another van. I couldn't tell if it was the same one as before or if was a different one. As hard as I tried to pay attention to where we were going, I still had no idea. Plus, I was too upset with what had just happened to concentrate. So, I did the only thing I could do, and that was to pray.

After what felt like thirty minutes later, the van stopped, and my stomach's nerves ignited. I was terrified in that moment and really felt alone. I heard the van open and felt two sets of large hands grab my legs and dragged me toward the cold air. I screamed through the gag and tried to kick my legs to make them release me, without success. The hands then moved up to my upper arms, and they forced me onto my feet and pushed me forward. The footsteps that I heard were again on concrete, but shortly I heard the handles of a commercial door opening and then heard our footsteps on a floor like a school or a hospital echoing down a long hallway. Much to my horror, the further we walked, the more that I heard muffled screams and yells all around me. This caused my body to want to flee, but the hands that held me wouldn't allow me to do so.

Finally, I heard a metal door open, and suddenly my restraints, blindfold and gag were sliced by what felt like a knife. I was then shoved into an open space and the door slammed behind me, followed by a locking sound. It took me a minute to realize that I was in a cell, but not like the one that Mrs. Kapelput was locked up in. First, it was quite noisy with the sound of continued screaming which brought a feeling of dread and hopelessness. Then I saw that there was dark green tile on the lower half of the wall and worn drywall on top, the four walls were quite close together and caused a sense of claustrophobia. There was a small bed with a simple nightstand, and I saw a table with an industrial looking chair pushed underneath it. I did see a single window that was high and covered in bars, opposite of the heavy metal door. The door looked like a vault door to me, with a small square window and a small slot like a mail slot on the lower half of the door.

I took the opportunity to look out the door window to get an idea of where I was. The hallway that I had just come through looked like a mix between a prison and a hospital, a very dated and run-down building that had doors like mine lining each side of the hallway. Even though I knew it was useless, I tried to see if the door would budge, and like expected, it didn't. All at once, the events of the day hit me, causing me to weep and collapse on the bed. I wept for Mrs. Kapelput, I wept for my uncle, I wept for myself, and I wept for the way I left things with Ozzie. I may never see him again and we left on bad terms. I wanted him to know that I still love him, and I wanted him to be happy. After a while, exhaustion finally allowed me to lose consciousness, despite the screams around me.

_The next morning_

Again, screams were all I heard when I woke up. My neck was stiff, and it was painful to turn. I got up and wiped my face with my hands partially to wipe away the dried tears, also to make sure that this wasn't a nightmare. A minute passed and I saw the slot open to reveal a tray with food on it. As hungry as I was, I didn't care what it was in that moment and I took the tray, thanking whoever was on the other side of the door. My meal consisted of what looked like oatmeal and orange juice. It was as bland as could be, but I was still glad for some sustenance. Once I finished, I put the tray in the slot and then walked back to the bed. _So now what?_ I asked myself. _I've got to do something; I've got to call the police and tell them what happened. What is Galavan planning? Why would he kidnap Ozzie's mom? I almost understand my uncle, but why Mrs. Kapelput? _

As my mind kept trying to figure out Galavan's plans, I heard footsteps coming down the hall, they seemed a little rushed compared to a normal gait. Soon enough the footsteps stopped, and I heard a familiar voice say with a shocked tone, "Oh my! So, he wasn't lying…" The voice was too close to ignore, so I looked up and saw Dr. Strange's face in the window. As soon as I met his gaze, his face flashed a smile and he unlocked the door. "Ms. James!" he exclaimed as he walked in the room, followed by a tall, black woman with purple lipstick. Her skeptical gaze seemed to be tattooed on her face, causing me to feel quite small indeed. "Dr. Strange.." I said with a scratchy voice from my screams the day before. "Oh my dear…" he said with pity in his voice, "I heard that you were coming, but I didn't realize that it was going to be last night. You look absolutely worn down." He turned his attention to the woman that was with him, "Ms. Peabody, please make sure that Ms. James here gets a shower, a fresh set of clothes, and have her meet me in my office." Turning back to me, he said, "Once you've gotten cleaned up, we will talk about your situation. I'll see you soon." The smile on his face should have given me hope that I would be able to reason with him and be released, but something told me that it was a farce.


	8. Chapter 8

_An hour later_

The clothes that they gave me reminded me of prison uniforms, their bold black and white horizontal stripes did little to comfort me. But I was grateful for the shower and didn't complain. In fact, I said nothing to Mrs. Peabody or the other employees that we encountered as she led me to the staff bathroom and later to Dr. Strange's office. Now that I was no longer blindfolded, I was able to survey my surroundings and had determined that I was in a mental-health facility. The source of the screaming became quite clear as we passed the rooms of the insane. As much as I wanted to help them in some way, they absolutely terrified me. Even the few that were quiet brought a shiver of dread through my heart. As I stood in the shower, it gave me ample time to think about my situation. _I don't understand why Galavan sent me here…why wasn't I simply hidden away like Mrs. Kapelput? Even if I can't figure out his plans, he obviously won't let me go to warn anyone. Maybe this is some sick punishment that he had concocted for me interfering with his plans_. _He kept referring to me as a 'surprise', maybe he resented me for it. _As I was drying off with a towel, I then had a chilling reminder of Dr. Strange's flower delivery and his note. _God, please give me the wisdom to reason with this man._

Now dressed in the prison-like uniform, Mrs. Peabody led me to what I assumed was Dr. Strange's office. The room had a large desk on the far side of the room, facing the door, covered with files and paperwork. The wall had a couple of certificates or diplomas hanging like badges of honor on the uniform of a soldier. There were several filing cabinets on the left, and a large window with bars on the right. There was a chair identical to the one in my cell facing Dr. Strange's desk and I was invited to take it by the gesture of a hand. I sat down to wait for the man that owned the name plate on the desk in front of me. I had to clear my throat a few times, the scratches and tickles were begging for water. I looked over to the window and saw that it was a dreary morning with grey clouds covering the sun. From this angle, I couldn't see the bottom floors of the building, but I could see the outside masonry which was like a castle in my imagination.

"Ms. James!" Dr. Strange's second greeting made me jump since I didn't see or hear him coming. I turned to him on reflex and saw him with a toothy grin that seemed unnatural on his face. His round rose colored glasses showed my reflection, so I couldn't see his eyes from my seat. It was now that I needed to speak, but again it was rough. "Dr. Strange, thank you for allowing me to shower. I feel much better." "I'm sure you do…" his deep voice agreed as he circled around me and sat on the chair behind his desk, "I've asked Mrs. Peabody to have some tea brought in, that should help your throat. We must take care of that precious voice of yours." As uncomfortable as I was, I smiled and nodded in appreciation. "Now, you must be wondering where you are and why you're here…" he continued, "You are in Arkham Asylum. Now normally you wouldn't have been put in a patient's room, but you arrived so late at night I wasn't even here to receive you! I apologize for the inconvenience, but I hope you were able to sleep well considering the circumstances." I didn't want to provoke the man that held the key to my release, so I smiled again and nodded. "Good! Good…"

The clink of chinaware sounded behind me and I then saw another employee of the Asylum wheeling in a small cart and parked it under the window. "Thank you, Mr. Smith." I was getting up, but Dr. Strange held up his hand to stop me. "Please, allow me…" he said as he got up to make the tea. After a few minutes of clinking and water pouring, he continued to speak, "Fortunately for you, I still had some Chamomile tea left from when I was fighting a cold two weeks ago. Milk and sugar?" "Yes, please…" I croaked. The doctor tsked in pity as he added the milk and sugar to the cup. The stirring of the spoon in the cup accompanied Dr. Strange's next statement, "I can still hear your song from the concert, it was absolutely breathtaking…" He offered the cup to me, and I thanked him silently. The tea was the most comfort I had felt since before Mrs. Kapelput and I were kidnapped. I was savoring the soothing heat in my throat while he continued from his seat. "When I heard that we had a new patient, imagine my surprise when I saw you sitting on the bed. Of course, you aren't an inmate here, that was most certainly a misunderstanding on the part of the night staff. Again, I apologize."

This information gave me hope…if he didn't receive the call from Galavan the previous night, then he wouldn't know about his plans and activities. _If I play my cards right, he might release me, and I can get help. God, give me wisdom_. Now that I had the tea, my voice sounded better, "I'm sure it was just a mistake. No harm done…" The little I could see of his face behind his glasses seemed genuinely touched by my statement. "The voice of an angel is indeed appropriate in this case…you are so kind…" This gave me another glimmer of hope, so I continued, "And I want to thank you for the lovely flowers that you sent me. I also appreciate that you could attend the concert and enjoy the music…" His face lit up even more after my words reached his ears. "Oh! It was truly a delight. I was worried that I may have crossed the line when I sent those flowers. If I had known how talented you were, I would have brought the flowers to the concert and given them to you then!" As much as I was trying to maintain a calm demeanor, the praise that he was giving me embarrassed me to my core. I could feel my face flush and I lowered my gaze to try to hide it. I could hear him chuckle, "I'm sorry…I've embarrassed you. Though, you should be used to complements."

This was not going the way I had envisioned it. I was hoping that I could simply convince him to let me go home in a few sentences, but he seemed to know just what to say to interrupt my thoughts. "Dr. Strange…" I finally replied, "Thank you, but I'm not that talented, really. There are other singers that are much better than I am…" "Nonsense!" he countered, "You have a natural quality to your voice that is so exquisite!" _Okay_, I thought, _this is ridiculous…is he stalling or what?_ "Please…" I firmly replied, hoping that he would take me seriously, "Dr. Strange, as much as I appreciate your hospitality, I really would like to go home…" His face changed to one of disappointment before my eyes. "Ah…well…you see…Ms. James, I'm afraid that won't be possible." I could feel a cold chill flow down my spine as he leaned forward and held his hands as his forearms rested on the desk. "You see, Mr. Galavan has informed me of the situation, and he has placed you in my charge." In a panic, I got up from the chair and started toward the door, but two large men in white uniforms blocked my way and firmly grasped my shoulders, turning me around back toward the now standing doctor. He reached into a drawer of his desk and brought out latex gloves, a needle, and a small vial.

I pleaded with him, "Please, Dr. Strange, please let me go! I'm begging you, please! I just want to go home!" As he put on his gloves and prepared the syringe, I tried to fight the men's hold to no avail. My tears were hot on my face as I cried out. The cool and collected doctor slowly approached me with the needle pointed to the sky. "Ms. James…" he said with a voice like a mother trying to comfort her child, "you don't realize it now, but soon you'll thank me." As the needle approached me, one of the men's hand forced my head to be held to the side, exposing my neck. "You'll be even better than before; with my research, I will unlock your hidden potential…" I felt the prick of the needle and the thin metal entering my neck. Then the sensation of the substance being forced into my body spread from the point of entry and started to cause my mind to become fuzzy. "When you wake up…you'll be a new woman…" I felt his latex glove on my cheek, as I felt darkness envelope me.


	9. Chapter 9

_A few weeks later_

Pain. All of my nerves felt like they were enflamed, and all my muscles were flexed painfully. I could feel my wrists, my ankles, and my head were restrained with leather straps. My body fought these restraints with a ferocity like a rabid dog. I could hear several voices yelling around me yelling, "What's happening?" "Increase the dosage!" "Her heart rate is critical!" "Get her stabilized!" I shook my head violently and I felt hands trying to hold it still. Relief finally started from my arm and spread to the rest of my body, finally causing me to lose consciousness again.

_A few days later_

I felt consciousness again, this time the pain was only coming from my throat; mostly I just felt weak. My eyes fought to open, they felt like Atlas trying to lift the Earth in mythology. Once I was able to see, I saw bright florescent lights lit some distance away from me surrounded by large dark ceiling tiles. The room felt so cold that I felt goosebumps forming on my arms, and though I wanted to hold myself for warmth, my wrists were still restrained with leather straps. Despite the pain, I cried out trying to get help and suddenly the lights above me shattered. Darkness took over the room and I closed my eyes as the glass shards showered over my body. I saw red light flashing through my eyelids and an alarm sounded. This frightened me and I tried to cry out again, this time I heard more glass shattering around me. I finally realized that this was not working, so I stopped screaming and waited for someone to come check on me.

I heard people enter the room saying, "Oh God! Careful, don't get cut!" "What happened here?" "Has someone broken in?" "Is she awake?" I groaned in response to the last question, hoping that someone would clear the broken glass off me. With my eyes still closed, I had to rely on my hearing to know who was where in the room; someone came next to me and I again felt the same relief from earlier spreading from my arm and I again lost consciousness.

_Three days later_

I again woke up to fluorescent lights above me with the same large dark ceiling tiles. My throat was still painful, but after what happened earlier, I didn't want to try to use it. This time, I opened my eyes and tried to lift my head and was successful in doing so. I looked around me to see a mostly white room with strange equipment all around me, some containing a glowing liquid and others with various components working. I could hear the whirring of gears turning and the slight whining of electricity running through machinery. The familiar beeping was a steady beat and I could barely hear it this time. I noticed that many of the machines had a label that read, "Indian Hill". Now was the moment that I realized something strange. Although I could read the label, I couldn't remember how I learned to read.

My mind struggled to find a memory of learning this skill, without success. I couldn't remember being in school or being taught. I also couldn't remember anyone's name, anyone's face, not even my own. There was a large void in my head that was overwhelming, and it frightened me. _Where am I?_ A voice I didn't recognize asked inside my head. I kept trying to find something to tell me what was going on, who I am, why I'm here, and what happened earlier. Finally, I heard a door open, and saw a man walk in with round glasses, a beard lining his chin, and a bald head wearing a black striped three-piece suit. "Ah!" he said, "You're finally awake. Excellent!" His friendly tone made me feel reassured and I was grateful that someone was concerned about my wellbeing. _Is he a friend? Does he work here? What is his name, I wonder…?_ "I would ask you how you are feeling, but we don't want a repeat of the last time you used your voice…at least until you learn to control it…" _What? What does he mean? What's wrong with my voice?_ Since I didn't know what was going on, I complied with his advice. After all, I didn't want him to leave me alone till I at least had some answers.

"I'm sure you're very confused. Do you remember anything from before you woke up?" I shook my head. "Ah…I see. Well, I am Dr. Hugo Strange, the director of Indian Hills. You suffered an accident and we brought you here to bring you back. Are you in any pain?" I nodded. "Can you show me?" he asked as he started to loosen one of my wrist restraints. When my hand was free, I pointed to my throat. "I see…well, it will probably be some time before your voice is back to normal." He then released all my other restraints and asked if I could get up. Though it was difficult due to my weakness, I was able to sit on the side of the bed and was able to see the rest of the room and the person with me clearly. I wanted to stand, but Dr. Strange stopped me, "Now, take it easy. You need to regain your strength before trying to do too much." For some reason, this annoyed me, and I tried to get up anyway.

My bare feet touched the freezing cold tile floor and my legs collapsed immediately, causing my body to fall. "Ms. James!" I heard him yell while I fell to the floor. _Is that my name?_ I asked myself as he quickly went to an intercom next to the door that he first entered. "I need two orderlies in Room 3C, now." He came back over to me, kneeling. "You see? You need to be patient, my dear. You will be able to walk again soon, I assure you." I again felt anger toward this man for some reason and tried to get myself up off the floor, without success. I slammed my wrist on the floor in frustration, and he took that hand into both of his own. "That's enough. Don't make us give you another sedative…" This threat calmed my resilience reluctantly. Finally two large men in white lifted me back into the bed. Thankfully, they didn't put me back in the restraints.

The doctor lifted the blanket that was at the foot of the bed over me, which I was grateful for. Despite my earlier fear, I carefully and quietly said, "Thank you…" He smiled at me. "Now, get some sleep. The next time you wake up, we will get to work on regaining your strength." But I couldn't sleep without some answers. I again spoke softly, "Who…am…I?" "Oh! You are a reincarnated siren from ancient Greece. As I said before, you were in an accident and we are restoring the magical properties of your voice." I nodded, but in my mind red flags flashed. _He's lying…he called me Ms. James earlier._ My trust of the doctor was immediately extinguished, but there was nothing I could do in this state. Therefore, I decided to play along till I got enough strength to get out. Although I didn't have any memories, my instincts had an overwhelming drive to escape this place.


	10. Chapter 10

_Two weeks later_

I had no idea how long I had been in this place. Though I was no longer in the same room as before, my new home was a small room covered in metal walls. It had a small window in the door leading to the hallway, that was also completely covered in metal with black letters and numbers next to each door. The fluorescent lights gave the hallway an almost green tint, but the lights in my room were more of a blue color. In my room there was a small bed, a desk with a radio, and a nightstand. Many hours were spent waiting there; pacing the floor, laying on the bed, sitting on the bed. But with the radio, I found a new occupation.

Despite warnings from Dr. Strange that he would give me when he would visit periodically, I wanted to try to get my voice working again as soon as possible. Therefore, I started talking out loud; softly at first, getting louder as the days went along. I couldn't recognize the voice I was using, but it felt the most natural. When I would listen to the radio, I would replicate the voices and sounds that I would hear for entertainment. It soon became apparent that any sound that I heard, I could perfectly replicate. Voices of men, women, and children; animal sounds; metal clanking; sirens; it didn't matter. I wasn't sure if this was normal or not, but it brought me a little enjoyment in this miserable existence.

In the many hours, I had so much time to think and to try to remember my past. The most I was able to recover were a bright light shining in my eyes, running from loud pops, and someone hitting me in the face while I was laying on a hard ground. As long as it took me to remember just these three memories, my frustration became a standard companion for me. There were a few times that people wearing white coats would come in and ask me to come with them. They always led me to a large room with different things in it every time. One day there was a vase on a table, another there was a stack of bricks, random animals in cages, and more. They asked me to use my voice in different ways, I shattered the vase, shattered the bricks, and conversed with the animals. I couldn't understand them, but they enthusiastically continued the conversation, nonetheless.

One day I was mimicking a man speaking on the radio when I saw a person walk across the window of my room out of the corner of my eye. Typically, I recognized the employees of the place, even knowing their names. But this one was different. So, I got up and strained to see whoever it was, fortunately he stood still in the middle of the hallway and it wasn't far from my door. It was a tall, thin man with short brown hair. He was wearing a black and white striped uniform, like a prisoner. He was holding his head; I was guessing in disbelief or in another emotion. He turned around and I saw that he was wearing glasses. Part of my wanted to get his attention, but after seeing his face, I changed my mind. He looked frightened, and I knew why. Though I had never been in the same room as any of them, I would see the others that were also staying in this place. Some were quite intimidating, others unusual in appearance.

I thought about it, and by the time I decided to get his attention, he was quickly walking back to where he came. If I broke the glass of my window, he would be able to hear me; he may be my ticket out of this place. I stepped back and took a deep breath. The sound that came from my mouth was not high pitched, but it was a pure tone that caused the glass to move slowly at first, then faster and faster till finally it shattered. Then I shouted "Wait!" just loud enough to reach his ears. I had to be careful, otherwise I could hurt him. I didn't hear anything, and I was worried that he had already walked beyond my voice's range. But then I heard footsteps coming toward my door. Much to my relief, I saw the man's face looking back at me.

"Ms. James? Wh..what are you doing here?" he asked with a startled voice. _So, he recognizes me…should I ask him to help me break out? Or should I get information first?_ He then looked at the window frame, seeing the shattered glass and he stepped back to examine the floor. "Shattered from inside the room…Let me see your hands…" he said firmly. I complied, showing him my hands as his eyes became wide. "You didn't break it with your hands…how?" "It's difficult to explain…" I said softly. I saw his eyes look at me with confusion and he shook his head a little, "Say that again…a little louder this time…" "Can you please help me?" I asked, ignoring his request. The man lifted his finger and held between his face and the window frame. "Y..you're not Ms. James…your voice is completely different. Who…what are you?" I wasn't sure how to respond, but I said, "I... I don't know."

He looked around in a nervous manner, "Well, you certainly can't be Ms. James, so whatever you are…I wish you the best. But I have to go." "Please!" I said with an elevated tone, "Can you at least tell me where I am?" He hesitated and replied, "Alright…it looks like you're in some place called Indian Hill…" "Well, I figured that." I said sarcastically. He looked at me with a look of derision, "Well, did you know that you're underneath Arkham Asylum?" "Arkham Asylum? …." "I have to go. Best of luck to you…" And just like that, he was gone. I wracked my brain trying to remember whatever I knew about the Asylum or something to help me get out. But before I could use my skills to shatter the door, I heard "What the hell?!" from the opposite direction of the retreating man. "We have a code 13 in cell 17!" I then heard his footsteps come to my door. He looked through the opening in the window and saw me, "Oh thank God, you're still here." "I'm sorry Elliot." I said softly. "What happened?" he asked. "It was an accident." I didn't want the staff to go after the man from earlier, so I didn't mention his appearance in the hallway. I would have to think of another way to escape Indian Hill since they would probably take extra precautions since this 'accident.'

They took extra precautions by binding my hands, shackling my feet, and they placed a specialized gag in my mouth prior to moving me to a new room. I didn't fight them, since I knew they were on guard at this point. As we were walking down the hall, I was able to see some of the other residents in the other cells. Included were a large man with ridges on his back like a dinosaur, a woman with short white hair, a young boy with black hair that reached his shoulders, and another man that looked like a reptile with his skin and eyes. We passed a very cold room, the window was frosted and blue and didn't allow me to look in at the resident. I finally was led to an empty room and they released my bonds and locked the door behind them. Again, I was left alone with my limited memory.


	11. Chapter 11

Another long period of time passed of which I had no idea. Despite the earlier tests that I was subjected to, they became sparser and I spent significantly more time in my new room. At one point, I was given different clothes from the ones that I was used to wearing. It was a blue, long sleeved shirt with a corset-like center across my chest. The ribbon that was tied there was black, and the material of the top was quite soft, like velvet. I was also given a jean skirt, and black ballet style shoes. I was grateful for the new clothes, but I wondered what this could mean. Could they be considering releasing me into the outside world? I couldn't be sure. All signs indicated that they were slowly forgetting about me, Professor Strange in particular due to his lack of visits. So, in the meantime, I spent most of my time considering how I was going to escape.

As to help with my planning, I paid more attention to the activities outside my room with who was coming and going. Curiously, there were several times when the lights would flicker throughout the facility, causing me to wonder if there were storms outside the facility or if there was something going on involving a lot of power. A couple of hours after one of these events, I saw a black woman of smaller stature walking confidently past my room accompanied by a couple of orderlies. Her hair was spiky and had tips of bright red that caught my attention almost as much as her clothes did. They were quite theatrical with bright blue, green, and copper colors. As she passed my window, we made eye contact and I was able to see that her left eye was a bright blue while her right one was dark brown. This almost startled me, but she didn't seem phased by my reaction. There were no words exchanged, nothing to indicate that our paths would soon cross again.

A few hours later, I heard a man yelling outside my room, causing his gravelly voice to echo in the hallways. Though it wasn't unusual to hear yelling periodically, this voice was different, so I waited in front of my window to see the source. There was a white man with short, blond hair wearing all black that was being dragged down the hallway by two different orderlies in white. This sight caused me to be interested since he didn't look like someone that belonged in this environment. There was also something about him that tingled the back of my mind, like an itch that I couldn't scratch. I felt this sensation once before when I first heard the name, Ms. James. Though I didn't attribute it to anything significant, so I was left with nothing but the hole in my memory.

After what felt like a couple of hours later, Mrs. Peabody appeared outside my room with several other men in white; some of them were pushing different pieces of equipment, such as gurneys, large metal boxes, etc. She was speaking to one of them saying with an authoritative voice, "Move 'em out in order of security grades. Lowest risk, first…" She was then beyond my hearing. A few minutes later, one of the men opened my door and told me to come with him. I thought again about fighting to make my escape, but without an idea of where I was being brought; I decided to wait and look for a better opportunity. I was led down several hallways and finally to a garage area with a school bus. I was told to get on the bus and sit in one of the seats. After I complied, a large man appeared with a large gun in his hands. He was obviously there to make sure that I and whoever may also get on the bus cooperated. This was the perfect opportunity to chastise myself for not taking the chance of trying to break free earlier.

At first, I was the only one on the bus, but this soon changed. Many of the other residents of Indian Hill joined me on the large vehicle. Most were quite vocal and rowdy, others quite silent. One of the silent ones was the young boy with long, dark hair that I saw before. He met my gaze and I unconsciously smiled toward him; he didn't return the gesture and sat in the seat in front of mine. After the bus was completely full, I heard the door at the back of the bus close and lock. Another door at the front of the bus was then locked, effectively trapping us in a mobile cell. Screams and yells started to hurt my ears, so I started to sing a calm song that I heard on the radio once to try to ease my anxious mind. After a verse, I then noticed that the loud voices around me started to quiet until finally nothing was sounding except my own song.

After the song was over, the other passengers remained silent and calm. An alarm then started to sound outside of the vehicle, the garage door in front of our bus started closing and I then heard a woman yell in utter rage outside. Despite my curiosity, I wasn't able to see the source of the yell. Several minutes passed, then we heard a feminine robotic voice say, "Security systems deactivated." This caused the garage door to open again. A red light flashed from outside, this caused some of the other passengers to start to mumble in confusion, and suddenly the engine of the bus roared to life. Then, we felt the vehicle lurch forward and turn. Whoever was driving the vehicle was driving with a significant acceleration causing me to feel nauseous. But I was still grateful to see the night sky outside the bus's windows.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the front of the bus, and then I heard sirens behind us. This caused the other passengers to get restless and the bus was seemingly shoved to the side, which made us cry out in surprise and confusion. It stopped after a few moments and then we were stopped. This brought me relief, but then suddenly the bus lurched forward again and there were suddenly pops from outside the vehicle, and just as suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my ankle, causing me to cry out in pain. Suddenly, the bus lurched in the air. This caused everyone to scream and suddenly we felt the bus land on something hard that left all of us leaning back. After a moment, we heard a voice from outside the bus yelling, "Professor Strange! Professor Strange! Come out…" The voice was just on the other side of the barred windows, and I heard a tap. The voice continued speaking with just a slightly raised voice, barely enough to hear, "Strange…we need to talk." And another tap. "You did a very bad thing to me." _Join the club_ I thought as he continued, "And now, you're going to pay!" I didn't hear the voice anymore after that statement.

I then remembered my injury, which looked like a gunshot from the small hole and the blood coming out. The pain was severe, and I knew that I had to try to wrap it in something to stop the bleeding. The others in the bus seemed to be unharmed, and the boy with long hair was suddenly next to me, looking at my injury. I ripped the bottom of my shirt to make a clothing strip so that I could use it to wrap my wound. The boy kept watching me silently while the others in the bus started to get restless, some were able to escape their bonds and started moving around. After a while, the back door opened and there was a mass exodus, everyone leaving slowly. I heard someone laughing, while the others continued their growls and groans. After everyone left, the boy helped me to my feet and then exited out the open back door.

After we exited the bus, the boy left my side and started speaking to an older black woman kneeling on the ground. Her grey hair was wildly sticking up and her clothes were quite dirty and large on her smaller frame. She looked terrified and seemed to be in shock. I limped over to her to ask if she knew where the nearest hospital was. Her voice seemed to be caught in her throat, so I didn't receive an answer. This caused me to become frustrated as my leg protested the weight that I was putting on it. I turned to see if I could find a sign or something behind me, and saw a man lying on the ground. His shoes were shiny, and he was dressed in unusual looking clothes that vaguely reminded me of the three-piece suit that Dr. Strange was wearing before. Curious, I limped toward him and saw his white face, sleeping peacefully. He had a small, pointed nose and black, spikey hair. Part of me wanted to wake him and see if he would help me, but I saw his walking stick and thought better of it. I assumed that it was his cane that was hitting the side of the bus, therefore I deduced that this man was the origin of the yelling voice from earlier.

I looked back and saw that the boy was walking away while the woman continued to stare in terror at me. Therefore, there was no one else that I could turn to. So, I knelt painfully and tried to rouse him by shaking his arm. There was no response, so I tried to tap his face with my hand. I heard him moan and he furrowed his brow before opening his eyes. I saw pale blue eyes looking around without focus for a moment, when he suddenly gasped and awkwardly scooted backwards a little. After a second, his eyes focused on my face and they widened while his mouth gaped open. "Fee? Is…is that you?" I tilted my head a little, the name caused the tingling in my mind again, so maybe this name was my first name and my last name was James. The man's face changed to one of what I imagined was relief and joy as he laughed a little while grabbing my upper arms firmly.

This surprised me so I jerked myself away, causing my leg to shoot pain. I unconsciously cried out a little and grabbed the leg, hissing a little bit. "Wh…what's wrong?" the man asked with a trembling and confused voice. He then must have seen my injury because he then said with fear, "Oh God…Fee! We…we need to get you some help!" He got up awkwardly and offered his hand to me. I didn't know if I could trust this man, but I needed to get medical attention before I bled out or worse. So, I took his hand and he picked up his walking stick after I got to my feet. He took my hand and let me to a car that was close by. I then noticed that not only was I limping from my injury, but he was limping on his right leg; which was turned outward for some reason, also explaining the walking stick. As we continued our awkward gait, I tried my best to remember this kind stranger. He obviously knew who I was and may be the key to unlocking my memories. The man opened the door for me, and I got inside. Though I didn't know who he was, I was in no condition to pass on the chance to get to a hospital.

The man got in beside me and it was then that I noticed that there was another man in the driver's seat. "To the hospital, Jay, and step on it!" the well-dressed stranger ordered. "Yes, boss." The other man complied. As the car lurched into drive, the stranger took my hand and I looked at him. "Fee…" he said with a gentle urgency, "Where in God's name have you been? After you left, so much has happened. I…I thought you were dead." At this confession, I saw his face contort to such sadness and his eyes welled up with tears. His body then tightened as he started to cry quietly. Something in me stirred, I wanted nothing more than to comfort this stranger. We obviously had history, and though I couldn't remember it, I couldn't help but want to soothe this apparently damaged person before me. So, against my better judgement, I wound my arm around his back and used my hand to gently bring him toward me in an embrace.

As the stranger sobbed in my shoulder, he tightly embraced me back. The reciprocation also seemed to bring me comfort. Ever since I woke up in Indian Hill, I had never been embraced by anyone. The only touches I felt were an orderly's restraining grip and restraints. This hug brought my heart a warmth that I had never experienced before, and without warning, my eyes started to shed tears of my own. Before long we arrived at the hospital and I was admitted in the emergency room. The man that was with me was quite pushy with the hospital staff to get me in, during their altercation, darkness enveloped my vision and I felt my legs collapse beneath me just before I lost consciousness.


	12. Chapter 12

I heard a beeping sound that roused me from my sleep. It sounded familiar and insufferable at the same time. It reminded me of when I first woke up at Indian Hill, just before I shattered the lights above me; so, I made sure to remain silent as I tried moving my arms. Thankfully, they were unrestrained, so my initial anxiety calmed down. As my eyes searched my surroundings, I saw that there were buttons on the side of the bed that would allow me to move my bed up. Once I was in a sitting position, I noticed that I didn't feel any pain and saw that there was an IV in my arm to explain it. There was a blanket covering my leg, so I uncovered it to assess the damage. It was covered in a clean gauze, and I gently touched it to see how sensitive it was. I felt a slight ache, but I couldn't know how severe it was while I was medicated. So, I covered it with the blanket again and continued to survey the room. There was a small TV mounted on the top left-hand corner of the room and windows on my left showing a dreary morning. In front of me was a whiteboard with writing on it; on the top of the board was the name, Felicity James. Upon reading this name, I felt the same mental tingling that I had when the stranger called me 'Fee' and deduced from this and Dr. Strange's utterance of "Ms. James" that this was indeed my name.

At this point I felt like my mind was a library filled with books, but the books have no titles and the pages are blank. Every time that I reached for a new volume, my heart would sink when the white pages stared back at me. As I repeated the name in my head over-and-over, I saw the words 'Felicity James' appear on one of the covers and my hand took the book out and started flipping through the pages. I saw words start to appear on the blank pages and ink started to dance till illustrations started to appear. One of the illustrations showed a small figure, sitting on a set of concrete stairs, next to me. The figure changed to a small boy, with raven hair and a dark suit. His chin was resting in his hands and he was staring straight ahead. As the child was staring straight ahead, I could hear a voice saying, "How about Fee, does that sound too silly?"

Back in the hospital room, I chuckled a little as the memory brought a warm feeling to my heart. As if answering a cue, I heard a knock on the door. I didn't answer before the door opened and pale violet flowers appeared through the gap. They were quickly followed by a pale face with a pointed nose and spikey, raven hair. I recognized the face from not only the earlier encounter, but also from the memory. _So, I must have met this stranger as a child._ This realization caused me to become nervous in his presence as he gave me a greeting that I barely heard. _If I speak, he may react like the man with the glasses from Indian Hill. This man is my best chance of regaining my memories, so I don't want to scare him off. _"Fee? Can you hear me?" Suddenly, my mind snapped back to the present moment and I again saw the well-dressed stranger before me, holding a bouquet in his hand and a cane in the other. There was also a larger, older man with him that wore a dark suit jacket with a maroon shirt underneath. His neck was adorned with a thick golden chain that gleamed in the florescent lights of the room.

I nodded my head and gestured to my throat, hoping that he would buy that I couldn't speak. "Oh…" he said as he lifted his chin a little in understanding. "So, you still can't…?" I shook my head this time and he gave me a pitying look as he placed the plastic-lined bouquet on the small table next to me. "Well…" he began, "Looks like I'll have to carry the conversation for now…" he chuckled a little at his own joke awkwardly. I felt the corners of my mouth tighten a bit in a small smile as he limped to the left side of my bed, where there was a chair available. As he took it, I felt a large hand cover my right hand. Surprised, I looked at the source of the unexpected touch, and saw the large man leaning over me a little with warmth in his eyes. He sighed a little before speaking, "Me…and the boys…...we're…so glad you're okay." His subtle display of emotion both moved and confused me even further. He smiled a bit before giving my hand a small squeeze and releasing it. "Yes," I heard the other man say, "When I gave them the news, they were practically leaping for joy!" His voice had a thin lining of sarcasm that I didn't miss, and by the look on the large man's face, he didn't either. "Gabe, why don't you go see if the GCPD has any updates?" Gabe nodded his head once and gave me one last meaningful look before leaving the room.

Now with just the two of us, my attention once again went back to the well-dressed stranger. His hands were resting on the top of the cane; and I was able to see that the cane had a bird's head on the top of it. He must have noticed my attention to it, so he brought it closer to me so I could get a better look. "Do you like it? I had it made a little while ago. It's my new identity, Penguin." I now saw that the head of a penguin was the bird that I was seeing. My face must have shown my confusion, because he took the cane away from me and again rested his hands on it. "It must be strange to you. After all, I used to hate that name. But, well, I guess it grew on me. But you can still call me Ozzie when we're alone." _Ozzie! That's a nickname that I must have given him! Short for Oswald?_ "Well," he said with an awkward tone, "when you can talk again, of course." I smiled at him, hopefully cutting through his unease. He smiled at me and took my hand in one of his. I could feel his warmth through the leather, and I gained a comfort that I hadn't felt in a long time. _Safe…. he makes me feel…safe…_


	13. Chapter 13

_A couple of days later_

The wound on my leg had healed well, considering the fact that it had suffered a bullet. I was able to place weight on the leg without the use of a crutch, which indicated that my stay at the hospital was finally at an end. Considering that a majority of my memories consisted of the inner walls of an underground laboratory and now the inside of a hospital, I was quite eager to leave and experience the outside world that I had just a brief taste of after our escape from Indian Hill. Of course, I couldn't express that sentiment to anyone and maintain my deception. Though I was given a notepad to communicate, it was still frustrating and confining. Every day, Oswald would come and visit me for hours at a time. He would talk to me at great lengths, unfortunately I didn't have much of an idea on what he was talking about. However, a few key phrases and words added to my mental library of memory. He mentioned his mother's death, which brought an unexpected emotional response from me. I felt a heavy weight suddenly engulf my heart and tears started to fall down my face. In my mind's eye, I saw an older woman with wild, pale hair framing her face. Her eyes were red from weeping and she was behind iron bars. I remembered her hands touching my face, and then suddenly and violently being pulled away from her.

As my attention returned to my visitor, I saw that he was fighting to maintain control of his emotions. But I could tell that the loss was still raw in his mind. When he retained his composure, he continued to tell me about his search for myself and his mother, which was initiated by our kidnapping by a man named Galavan and his sister, Tabitha. As this name crossed his lips, his face turned dark and violent looking while his glance glazed in recollection. I was almost afraid of both him and the people that he was describing. After a few minutes of venomous words escaping his lips, he must have noticed my unease because he gave my hand a comforting squeeze. "But, Galavan is dead. And hopefully soon, his sister will be as well." After a brief pause, he seemed to remember something as he continued, "I know that you don't approve of violence, but even you have to admit that they deserve it. After what they did to you, to Mother, and countless other people." His eyes were locked with mine, their icy blue glare seeming to beg me to give him a sign of affirmation, almost like a child waiting for their teacher's approval on an assignment that they worked hard on. Both his words and his current plead for affirmation of some kind confused me.

_If my true self would disapprove of violence, then should I react accordingly? I don't know what to do…._

Fortunately, we were interrupted by a knock at the door and a nurse entered the room with discharge papers for me to sign. After doing so, the nurse said, "I'm sure that you're ready to get home, aren't you?" I nodded and then noticed that Oswald had a peculiar look on his face. After the nurse left the room to get the required wheelchair for discharge, Oswald said, "Actually…. I sold the apartment after believing that you were gone." I made my expression one of disappointment, since I determined this to be an appropriate response to this news. Though I didn't remember the apartment that he was talking about, so I didn't feel any loss in that regard. But I did need to find a place to stay until I could either regain more memories or determine another plan. "Don't worry though," he continued, "You're welcome to stay at my new home. There's plenty of room." He chuckled at this phrase and then stood up.

_An hour later_

We were riding in a nice car after my discharge from the hospital. I was grateful to get some fresh air once we were out of the building. Though the air wasn't completely 'fresh' with the amount of cigarette smoke that lingered outside of the building. But once I was inside the car, I could then smell the fresh leather of the seats and the cologne that Oswald was wearing. After getting in the car, it lurched forward. As we rode, he started talking about his father, Elijah Van Dahl. "Just when I was at my lowest point. I lost mother, you, my home, my position; it seemed like there was nothing left. But then, out of the blue... he gave me a home...a family..." He was smiling in nostalgic bliss, but then the smile faded. "It's too bad you weren't able to meet him, Fee... He would have loved you." He looked at me and I smiled a little back at him while nodding a bit. It felt like every time that his gaze fell on me, that I was on stage. I wanted to keep him from finding out my secret, but I hoped that soon I would be able to find my identity again.

As much as he talked, every time he was about to talk about the other Van Dahls, he was suspiciously silent on the matter. He would catch himself short as he was talking and change the tone in his voice in a particular way. It was impossible for me to tell if he was lying or if there was another reason, since I couldn't really remember him and his mannerisms. But soon enough the scenery outside changed from dense city streets to sparse countryside. I looked out the window and saw sprawling lawns with lavish homes, and when we turned into a driveway, it took a minute before I saw our destination. I saw a large manor with aged stonework arches outside of a stately looking home. The stones around a tower on the corner of the structure were engulfed with ivy and the spire was unique to the rest of the building. I was fascinated with the architecture and was eager to get a closer look, but the sun was quickly setting so I knew that I wouldn't be able to see much after dark.

"Welcome to Van Dahl Manor!" Oswald said enthusiastically with a gesture of his hand. It was difficult to contain my excitement, though I wasn't sure why I was so excited about a building. _Perhaps this was something that I was passionate about before my memory loss? _The car stopped in front of the building and I was about to open the door, but Oswald stopped me with a touch of his hand on my arm. He didn't say anything, but the look on his face told me to wait. The car door was opened for me and I pulled myself onto the damp stone walkway leading up to the front door. I heard Oswald's gait behind me and I allowed my face to beam at him when he stood next to me. He moved his cane from his left to his right hand and offered his elbow to me. My arm took his and we walked up the cobblestone path together, I was supporting him and he was supporting me.


	14. Chapter 14

_Inside Van Dahl Manor_

Once we entered the large home, I was able to see that the architect took great pride and care in the construction of the building. The floors had a black and white pattern like a large chess board throughout the space. The walls were covered in elaborate paintings, some reminiscent of the Orient while others were portraits of long dead aristocrats dressed in their finest. There were many different fine knick-knacks that made me afraid of walking too quickly and causing them to break. There were also many beautiful windows that had metal elaborately curved and twisted to make them works of art in themselves. Though the light was soon fading, I was still able to see some of them in the front door and at the end of the hallway. There was a staircase in front of me which reminded me of a Victorian style home.

While I was admiring these details, I was also surprising myself with the amount of knowledge that I seemed to have about architecture. _This must have been one of my interests..._ And another book in my mind started to fill its pages with words and images, mostly of old cathedrals and historical books. This suddenly gave me memories of incense, of beautiful voices echoing in an enormous space, of praying to God. And as these comforting memories continued, suddenly they were interrupted by a deep and menacing voice whispering, "Did you give my message to Penguin?". I gasped suddenly as I felt a rush of dread in my heart. "Fee? Fee? What's wrong?" Oswald was looking at me with a worried look on his face as I returned to the present moment. I nodded as I fought to regain my normal breathing. I gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and smiled at him. Remembering that I shouldn't speak, I gestured to our surroundings. I was hoping that he would believe that my reaction was due to being overwhelmed by the beautiful home. I did this not only to keep him from asking me questions, but also to appeal to his obvious pride in his opulence.

Fortunately, it worked and he said with a slight chuckle, "Oh, yes, it is beautiful isn't it? I remember that you love fine craftsmanship. Even as children, you would go on and on about how amazing your church was and how you wanted to live in a castle just like it when you grew up. I'm glad you like it, my father had great taste, didn't he?" I again nodded and he led me closer to the staircase, when a large woman emerged from one of the rooms in front of us. She was wearing a black and white maid outfit and had her bleach blonde hair in a tight bun at the top of her head. Her face looked perpetually disapproving and her thick makeup extenuated her frown. "Ah!" Oswald said in an almost relieved voice, "Olga! I'm glad you're here. This is Felicity James and she'll be staying with us for a while." She looked at me and barely tilted her head in acknowledgement without changing her expression. "Can you please find her a room and help her get settled? She's been in the hospital for a while and I'm sure that she would like to clean up and change."

She said with a deep voice, "Пожалуйста, пойдем со мной" I didn't understand what she was saying, but by her body language, I could tell she wanted me to follow her up the stairs. "We're working on finding an ESL class..." Oswald whispered with an embarrassed tone, "Just follow her and she'll take care of you. I'll see you for dinner in the dining room in an hour, okay?" He gave a gentle tap on my hand and I left his side to follow Olga up the stairs. I had to hold the railing since the climbing caused my leg to ache a bit and I didn't want to fall. Once we reached the top of the stairs, she led me down a long hallway that was lined with more portraits and artwork on the walls, but the floors were now a deep brown wood covered with damask rugs. We reached the end of the hallway and she opened a door to lead me into a remarkable bedroom with a large posted bed lined with crimson curtains. The room had large french doors leading out to a balcony and allowed me to see the final rays of sunset. Fortunately, this light allowed Olga to find the lamp on a small table and turn it on before we were engulfed in darkness.

I looked around the room for a moment and then my guide cleared her throat and said, "Туалет там. И здесь есть шкаф. Столовая внизу, вторая комната справа. Не ходите в третью комнату, иначе вы увидите неприятный сюрприз." While she was speaking, she gestured to the two other doors in the room. Unfortunately, I didn't understand what she was saying, but I thanked her anyway. She left me and I was able to take a deep breath, relieved to have a place to call my own; even if it was temporary. I was grateful to have a safe place where I didn't have to worry about being experimented on, a place that I could sleep comfortably, and peaceful silence. This was something that was new to me and I relished the feeling. I grinned a little as a childish idea popped in my head, and I kicked off my shoes, walked to the side of the bed and leaped onto the lavish covers. I couldn't help but giggle as I rolled on the bed, back and forth over and over. I finally stopped on my back and looked up at the ceiling and sighed in contentment. After a minute of relaxing, I got up again and walked toward the two doors that Olga gestured to before.

The first one led to a nice bathroom with a claw footed bathtub and a modern looking shower. While the other door led to a huge walk-in closet. There were countless beautiful and tacky looking dresses as well as some higher quality suits and casual clothes. Not to mention the enormous shoe collection. My first reaction was that of confusion, _whose clothes are these?_ I couldn't believe that these clothes were for me, so I started to wonder if Olga was saying to stay out of there, that they are off limits. I suddenly felt guilty for ruining someone else's bedcoverings. I walked out of the room to find Olga walking in the hallway. To get her attention, I knocked on one of the walls; which worked. She looked at me with the same expression, except for her eyebrows being raised. I gestured for her to come back to the room. When she came back, I did my best to try to communicate that I was confused about the room. It took a few frustrating tries, but she finally seemed to show her understanding.

She used her hand to gesture to the entire room, then she pointed at me with purpose. To me, she meant that the room was mine. Which to this, I gently took her arm and pulled her to the closet. I again gestured that I was confused, and she again gestured to the clothes, and then pointed to me. This time, I shook my head. At this, the corners of her mouth lifted a small bit and she walked to one of the racks. She took out a dark, maroon dress with a high neckline and no sleeves. It was made of velvet and had subtle damask texture that reminded me of the rugs in the hallways. Olga had to hold it up to keep it from dragging on the floor too much, when she held the hanger up to my chest; she seemed to be suggesting that I should try it on or wear it. I again shook my head and took a step back. She must have seen that I wasn't trying to be difficult, but that I was worried that it wasn't mine. She reached out with her free hand and took my hand. I looked at her and she smiled a little and nodded her head in an encouraging way, seemingly to reassure me that it was alright. It took me a moment, but then I returned her expression and then she again held the dress up to my chest. "Я думаю, что это платье будет хорошо выглядеть. К сожалению, эта шлюха, которая владела им раньше, выше тебя. Но это будет работать на сегодня."


	15. Chapter 15

_An hour later_

I descended the stairs slowly while holding up my dress to keep gravity from pulling me down to the bottom. The length of the skirt was fairly concerning, but there was nothing to be done about that, so I just had to make the best of the situation. I reached the bottom of the stairs with a relieved sigh and started to walk around to try to find the dining room since my stomach had been complaining for a while now. I looked around while I was walking to admire more of the architectural details that I couldn't see before. After a few minutes, my stomach growled again, and I was reminded of my mission. But suddenly I was hit with a foul stench that nearly knocked me over. I started coughing and held my nose for at least a little relief as I was curious to find the source. _Maybe it's a mouse or a rat that died in the wall or something?_ The stench was strongest from the room behind me, through an archway leading to a large room with many windows on the left side with moonlight pouring in to reveal a large table that had several chairs and a few sofas between it and the dark fireplace with it's opening as black as coal. But I wasn't too concerned with any other feature of the room besides the smell coming from my left.

I noticed that there were a couple of chairs with a small round table in between them. There was something on top of the table that I couldn't quite make out, it was large to be a knick-knack, but it was precariously mounted on a thin pedestal like a candlestick. I started to move toward it when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I gasped in surprise and saw Olga looking at me. Her face was in her normal disapproving expression and she slightly shook her head as she looked down at me. With the hand that she had on my shoulder, she gently guided me back to the first room on my left. This room also had a table, though not as large as the one I saw before, but there were candles lit all over the room, so it was much more inviting than the other room. I saw Oswald standing at the far side of the room looking at a painting on the wall when Olga cleared her throat to get his attention.

He snapped his head toward the source of the sound and a large smile appeared on his face when he locked eyes with mine. "There she is!" he said as he limped toward us, "I was beginning to think you got lost." He chuckled at his joke and I shrugged my shoulders a bit to respond to his comment. "Come in! Sit down!", He took my hand and led me to one side of the table that was covered in many silver trays and bowls that reflected the flickering candlelight while holding a wide variety of food that was much more interesting than the food from Indian Hill and the hospital. Plus, the smells coming from them were much more appetizing than the mysterious odor from before. My stomach again growled in its approval and Oswald laughed. "So, you are hungry! I thought as much!" He released my hand to pull out a chair for me. I carefully sat down, and he limped to the chair that was on the opposite side of the table, which wasn't far.

After he settled, I saw him take up a small wine glass and lift it. "To reunions! And to new beginnings!" I mirrored his action and took a sip as he did. The dark liquid was rich and strong and almost caused me to choke. I quickly swallowed it and gave a small cough. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you don't drink. Olga, please get Ms. James another water." Fortunately, there was already a small glass with water in it that I used to calm my throat. Once I was recovered, I smiled at him to reassure him that I was alright. _So, I'm not a drinker…_ I then saw a flash of me sitting at a table opposite of a large stranger with menacing eyes, laughing heartily at me as I choked on a glass of wine. But as soon as the memory came, it was gone again. _Who was that?_ I wondered as Oswald started chatting as we started eating. This memory disturbed me for some reason and made me lose my appetite. However, I ate anyway to prevent Oswald from asking questions.

We finished eating after a while and I could tell that Oswald was getting frustrated with having just a one-sided conversation constantly, even while consciously maintaining a smile on his face. As he took my hand to lead me to the library for more conversation, I started considering my options. _I can't keep up this ruse much longer. if I don't start talking, he may send me to an institution or send me away. But I can't try to replicate my old voice, or he may react like the man with glasses from Indian Hill. _Suddenly, I had a silent epiphany. _He doesn't know where I was or what happened, so I can just invent an injury or something that damaged my vocal cords!_ He led me to a fancy arm chair that had gold trimmings and a deep violet cushion on the seat and back. Olga brought a tray of drinks into the room and left silently. Oswald helped himself to another glass of wine and sat in the chair opposite to mine and said a few more sentences. He obviously was running out of patience with me, so I decided that now was the time to take a chance. As he was taking another sip of his wine, I cleared my throat loudly. This caused him to pause and look at me with curiosity.

With a forced rasp to my voice, I said softly, "I..." This cause Oswald to put down his glass and pop up from his seat with a look of awe. I cleared my throat again to make my act more believable, "I'm sorry... it's...hard to..." "Oh...my God! Fee! You...you can speak!" Oswald suddenly came to me and lifted me up by my forearms to my feet so that I was face to face with him. I could see his face was lit up with joy and he was excitedly laughing as he embraced me tightly. "I'm so relieved," he whispered in my ear, his voice tight with emotion. "I thought that I wouldn't hear your sweet voice again." He withdrew his chest from mine and looked at me while holding my upper arms in his hands. "It sounds like your voice isn't quite back to normal though. Don't worry about talking again for a while, rest your voice. I'll call a doctor to come in and take a look at you." I must have had a worried look on my face because he quickly reassured me that he wouldn't force me to go back to the hospital. I smiled with relief, he kissed my cheek and held my head gently in his hands.

His caress made my stomach flutter and my heart beat a little faster. I felt heat rise to my face, I'm sure it was causing me to blush. He seemed to notice and rubbed a thumb across the warmth while smiling. Without warning, he brought his face to mine and our lips came together in a kiss. I wasn't expecting it, so I inhaled sharply through my nose instead of gasping. His lips were still at first, then they began to move. Each motion caused me to ache for more, so I mirrored his kiss. Oswald withdrew from me after a few minutes to give us both a moment to breath. We smiled at each other in contentment and I hesitantly stepped back from him while holding his hands. "Well…" he said as he looked down for a moment, which lingered as his face looked confused while tilting his head to the side. "Are…are you barefoot?" A gasp escaped my lips as I quickly released his hands to move my skirt over my cold, bare feet. I was embarrassed and mentally admonishing myself for allowing him to see… But then a small chuckle started to ring through the stagnant tension in the air.

Despite his apparent attempt to keep his laughter under control, it escaped his lean frame and caused his shoulders to move as he lifted his hand to his mouth. This caused him to make a small snorting noise that sounded so endearing, I couldn't help but start to giggle myself. In turn, both of our laughter pierced the mansion, causing us both to bend over and hold our stomachs. After a while, we fought to calm our laughter enough to breath again, my abs were burning, and my eyes were wet with tears. We both struggled to get to a chair to collapse in sweet exhaustion. This caused my feet to again be exposed to the cold room and he shook his head with a smile on his face. "I guess we'll be going shopping tomorrow…" I beamed at him and nodded.


	16. Chapter 16

The fog was dense, and it seemed to fill my lungs, causing them to grow heavy and labored as I fought for every breath. There was a light ahead of me that remained stagnant as I walked toward it and muffled voices all around me. I was forced to wander forward and wave my hands in front of me to try to keep from running into anything in my path. After what seemed like hours, I found a door with a window from which the bright light was coming from. The knob was cold and smooth in my hand as I turned it, and as it opened, I was suddenly shoved through it by a rough hand on my back. This caused me to fall on the floor, and as I tried to get up there was a man's voice in my ear, "Come on now sweetheart….say you're sorry…" Then a large hand grabbed my hair, forcing me to my feet. My captor turned me around and I was face-to-face with a larger man with a smug smile on his face, revealing a few golden teeth. He started laughing and then I heard ripping fabric.

I awoke in a cold sweat, my heart racing and my breath labored. I could also feel my head throbbing as I tried to re-orient myself to my current state. Moonlight streamed through the large windows on my right, allowing me to see the room that I was in. It took a few moments for me to recall that I was in the Van Dahl manor and in the room that Oswald had allowed me to sleep in. Relief took over my body, but not enough to allow me to go back to sleep. I got out of bed and walked to the large window overlooking a balcony. I was wearing a blue, silk nightgown that reached my ankles that did little to protect me from the cool night air. So, I found a robe on one of the chairs in the room and put it on. While looking out on the back lawn a small shadow darted across the yard, catching my attention. Curious, I wanted to investigate.

Luckily there was enough moonlight to allow me to find the candle on the nightstand and matches in the drawer. After lighting the candle and throwing the used match in the extinguished fireplace, I left the bedroom and started walking slowly down the hallway to avoid waking anyone else. The cold, stale air was only broken by random creaks and crickets from outside. My bare feet slowly and carefully brought me down the stairs. The candlelight reflected a bit off the dark wood around me and I was able to see the familiar portraits hanging around me as I continued forward. I was thankful that the awful smell from earlier was much fainter than before, but it also made me wonder how it was so easily extinguished. If it was a dead rodent in the wall or something, they would have had to cut a hole in the wall or something.

The room that contained the source of the stench was fortunately next to a door that looked like it led to the back lawn. So, I looked inside the room and the strange item on the small table was gone. This made me wonder if it was, in fact, the actual source of the stench. I swatted away a fly that suddenly buzzed around my head and walked to the door leading outside. I placed the lit candle on a small table next to the door and decided to blow it out to keep a fire from starting before I returned. I took a deep breath of the cool air and walked out across the stone patio leading to the open yard lit by silver moon beams. My feet touched the cold grass, causing me to gasp a little. Again, I saw movement from the corner of my vision, piquing my interest again. It disappeared in a line of trees several yards away from me. Not wanting to lose sight of it, I started running toward the trees.

As I drew closer, I heard a strange sound like metal hitting sand. Every four or five seconds, it would hit again and again. I reached the trunk of a tree and saw that there was another clearing, and I saw the source of the shadow as well as the sound. The shadow was a cat. I could see its eyes glowing in the distance before it ran out of my view. The source of the sound was a figure with a shovel, digging. The figure was thin and seemed to be wearing a dark sweater with a collar. I could tell it was a man and that he was getting tired quickly, his movements becoming more labored the longer he was working. But, to his benefit the job was pretty much finished. He used the back of the shovel to pat down a small pile of dirt. I heard him sigh loudly and he threw down the large tool. I heard him panting and saw his breath in the cold air through the moonlight.

"Too bad I couldn't keep you around longer…. you were my favorite ornament…." I recognized the voice even from that distance as Oswald's. I heard him chuckle much like earlier that evening when he told a joke. "But, this is how it has to be… I can't have Fee finding you after all. Thank God she didn't know you like I did, and she never will." Again, he chuckled. I was so confused by what he was saying, I couldn't even begin to try to figure it out. For some reason, I felt a small sense of dread as I watched him, like I was in a dangerous situation. Which confused me even further. The man before me has done nothing but be kind to me since I found him outside the bus. But watching his strange behavior and hearing his strange speech caused my stomach to turn in knots. I decided that now was the time that I should leave before I was discovered.

I started carefully retreating toward the house quietly and felt a twig snap beneath my foot. I gasped as I saw the man before me snap his head toward the sound and he started to limp toward me quickly saying, "Who's there!?" I started running, worried that he would see me before I got back in the house. My heart pounded in my head and my lungs started burning as it inhaled the cold air. Suddenly I heard the screech of a cat behind me and Oswald cry out in surprise. "Damn it! You scared me you mangy tomcat!" I was grateful to the feline as I finally reached the door again and went back inside as quietly as I could. Finally, I reached my room and closed the door behind me, resting my back on the wood and tried to catch my breath. Just as I was calm again, I heard the back door open and close from the hallway. I expected to hear uneven footsteps on the hardwood floor, but there was a strange silence instead.

This set off alarm bells in my head for some reason and caused me to decide that I had to look like I was still asleep; so I quickly took off my robe, flung it back on the same chair, and jumped on the bed. I pulled the covers over my head and turned away from the door. As I tried to keep my breathing shallow, I realized my mistake as I finally heard those footsteps that I was expecting climbing the stairs. _I left the candlestick on the table downstairs!_ Cursing my stupidity, I held my breath when the footsteps reached my door. I heard a soft knocking and heard Oswald say behind the door, "Fee? Fee? Are you awake?" I was now caught in a dilemma; do I answer the door or hope he just gives up and goes away? Even though we obviously had some history, he was still a stranger to me besides a few select memories. So, I decided to err on the cautious and stay hidden.

I heard the doorknob turn, causing my pulse to race; but I fought to keep my breathing steady and slow. His uneven gait walked slowly toward the foot of the bed as he repeated in a whisper, "Fee?...Fee?" But I didn't move or respond, hoping that my ruse would work and that he would give up. Another part of me worried that he would try to wake me, which wouldn't allow my act to continue convincingly. So, I was forced to wait. After a moment that felt like eternity, I heard him sigh and whisper with a resolved tone in his voice, "I guess not…" I expected him to leave the room, but strangely enough I heard him sit on one of the chairs at the foot of the bed with a relieved sigh. _Why isn't he leaving?_ I asked myself as I strained my ear to listen to what he would do next.

"Fee…I…" he said in a low, soft voice. "Felicity… I… I've wanted to tell you… for so long…" As he spoke, his voice waivered like it was a struggle to find not only the words, but his voice. I heard him stand and his steps come toward me. My heart raced again, but I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. _In…out….in…out….slowly_. My covers were slowly removed from the top of my head and I prayed that he would believe me still unconscious. I felt his hand, gently touching my hair and moving it away from my face. "I… I love you…" he whispered so quietly that I barely heard it. Then I felt him kiss my cheek softly. The kiss ended shortly, and I felt his breath as he withdrew his head from mine. "Sleep well… I'll see you in the morning…" The cover was then placed back over my head and Oswald left the room, closing the door softly behind him.


	17. Chapter 17

_The next morning_

My eyes opened to the morning light coming through the windows, it took me a minute for my eyes to adjust. It was a relief that I wasn't waking to a nightmare this time. The previous night's events were fresh in my mind as I got up from the bed and went to the restroom to shower and get dressed. As I dried my hair, I looked in the mirror and saw my face, though it didn't strike much familiarity for me. I had seen it before in reflections since Indian Hill, but now I took an extra moment to examine it more closely. My eyes were auburn, and I had a wide and unremarkable face framed by mousy brown hair that reached just below my shoulders. I then noticed a scar on my cheek, reaching from the corner of my eye to my ear lobe. As my finger touched it, my mind flashed several images in quick succession.

First, I was screaming while kneeling on the ground. Blood was on my hand after removing it from the side of my face. A man was yelling at me, saying, "Look what you made me do! God woman! You're such a stupid bitch!" I was crying and my vision was blurred and I tried to find a towel to hold to my face to stop the bleeding as the man stormed away from me. Next, I saw a policeman leading that same man into a courtroom in handcuffs. He looked at me with a venomous glare, reminding me of a viper ready to strike. But I was in a chair across the room from him and felt a strength and determination that was ignited with that glare. We were in a courtroom and I was testifying against him, describing the abuse that I had endured at his hands. The memory then faded as I saw him stand enraged despite the policeman's effort to keep him under control. Finally, I saw myself exiting a train with a flood of people forcing themselves through a large crowd.

A couple more books in my mental library were now gaining content in the form of a previous abusive relationship. Though I was glad that I was remembering, it wasn't a pleasant addition to the library. However, this made me wonder if that was the source of my apprehension the night before regarding Oswald's behavior. _Maybe my instincts were reignited from the previous relationship with another man._ That would explain my fear, though his behavior on the lawn was strange and caused me to be curious on what exactly he was doing. This thought occupied me as I looked through the closet to find my clothes for the day.

A little while later, I descended the stairs to find some breakfast. I walked back into the dining room and was surprised to see the large man from the day before. "Ah, Ms. James. Morning!" I waved at him in acknowledgment and he continued, "Still not talkin' huh?" I shook my head, "That's a shame…" He then placed his right hand in his suit pocket and sighed. In the corner of my eye, I noticed that his other hand was stiff and was covered in a glove. He must have seen my curious look as he followed the line of sight to his hand. "Oh…you wondering about this?" He held it up and took off the glove. What was underneath was a metal casting of a hand, permanently frozen with the fingers fused together and the thumb rested against them. I couldn't stop my feet from moving closer to it and reaching out for the metal appendage. He gave a humored huff when my fingers touched the cold, smooth surface. "I betcha curious on how I came to get this…well…" "Butch!" Oswald's sharp voice pierced the air in a forced casual manner. "You're early!" he said in an annoyed tone as he limped forward with his cane. "Yeah," Butch said as he put the glove back on, "Ms. J and I were just catching up…weren't we?" he said as he looked back at me.

I nodded to not only confirm the truth of the statement, but to try to defuse the obviously tense moment. Silence followed as Oswald looked at Butch and me in a suspicious manner before asking, "You weren't telling her stories, were you?" "Nah…" Butch said as he waved the question away using his good hand. "Good…" he said with a look of warning in his eye. "Good morning, Felicity! I thought you were going to sleep the day away!" When he addressed me, his face lit up and he came closer to me to take my hand. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I just smiled back at him. He moved his hand up to my elbow and gently pulled me toward the dining table and into one of the chairs. "I bet you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll ask Olga to make you something before you go shopping. Unfortunately, I have some business that can't be avoided so you'll have to go without me. But, don't worry, I'll send you with Madeline from the club; she should be here in an hour and then you can go have fun." Something in me told me that shopping would be anything but fun...

_A few hours later_

Madeline was certainly a talker. I could count on one hand the amount of times that she took a breath during the trip. Before we left the manor, Oswald gave us instructions that any purchase would be put on his tab. And he expressly said, "Don't worry about the cost, Felicity. I _mean _it." He said this with a playful voice while putting on a stern face. This told me that I must hate to spend money, so to keep up appearances, I should spend as little as possible. So, anywhere that had larger price tags, I avoided picking up anything. Finally, Madeline gave up on trying to convince me herself, so she would go to the store clerk and they would find arms full of clothes for me to try on. When she mentioned Oswald's name, every store clerk would assure us that they would have any selection that we made delivered to the Van Dahl manor. This made Madeline practically giddy since we wouldn't be forced to carry the bags ourselves. I assumed that she was allowed to get some items as payment for taking me shopping, since she had some selections of her own.

We finally returned to the manor via a car employed by Oswald. I waved at Madeline as the car dropped me off and I was allowed inside by Olga. The house was mostly quiet, except for Oswald's voice in a distant room. It sounded like he was on the phone and that he was losing patience with whoever was on the other end of the line. "No...no, I told you! Fish Mooney _is_ _alive_ and you need to find her! I've already told you... fine..." I then heard a frustrated growl and what sounded like a fist hitting a table. "Imbeciles! I'm telling you Butch, they will regret the day that they ignored my warning!" Olga tapped my shoulder and used her eyes to direct me upstairs. Though the expression was simple and her face didn't show any softening, I took her direction without hesitation. I finally reached the room to find the fireplace ablaze, causing orange light to dance around the walls.

My exhaustion finally caught up with me, causing me to collapse on one of the chairs facing the fireplace. I relaxed and watched the flames for a few minutes, allowing my thoughts to manifest. _There's no way that I can see a doctor. They'll probably figure out that I'm not a normal person, and then what can I do? I have to get my memory back, or at least find a way to remember my voice. If I could just hear it, that would be enough... But how? _After a few minutes of wracking my brain, suddenly inspiration hit me. _If Dr. Strange was the one that experimented on my voice, maybe he has a recording of my voice from before the surgery? He would need a point of comparison, won't he? At the very least he may have had some files on me that I can look at...I would rather not go back to Indian Hill, but I'll have to if I'm going to regain my identity. But how can I get there?_ Just then, I heard a knock on the door and Oswald's figure was standing in the doorway, his feet pointed outwards and his face holding a smile.

"Welcome back!" he said with a light tone, "How was it? Did you girls have a good time?" He limped into the room and I straightened up in my seat, nodding. "Good! I can't wait to see you in your new clothes! We'll get rid of the old clothes in the closet... Oh! Don't worry, I'll see that they're donated to that store that benefits the homeless...See..." he then took my hand, "I remember how much it means to you..." _The homeless? _Before my mind could dwell on this, he continued, "So, I'm going to have to go out. I have a friend that I need to visit at Arkham, but I won't..." I squeezed his hand and sat straighter with excitement. _What are the odds?_ He looked at me with a bewildered look, "Why are you? Do you want to come with me?" I nodded enthusiastically and he gave me a concerned face. "I don't know...Arkham isn't exactly a pleasant place to go. I would know..." His last statement was under his breath and his glance lowered in reflection. After a moment, he lifted his head again and continued, "No, I would rather you stay here and wait for me. I promise you that it's better this way." With that decision, he tapped the back of my hand and left me in a cloud of disappointment and annoyance.


	18. Chapter 18

_Well, damn it..._ I thought to myself as I heard Oswald leave the manor a few minutes later. _How am I going to get there now?_ My feet started pacing the floor as I wracked my brain trying to figure out my next step. Idea after idea appeared in my mind, and just as soon as they manifested, they were dismissed as farfetched or impossible. The longer I paced, the more exasperated I became. My frustration caused me to pick pillows off the bed and throw them across the room. I wanted to yell but knew that I couldn't with Olga in the house. _I need to get out of here, I need some air…_ Just then I remembered that Oswald was burying something in the back yard the night before. _Now's my chance to find out what he's hiding…_

I walked outside and saw the line of trees clearly in the daylight. Instead of black masses in the dark, they were now serene and lovely. Part of me hoped to see the cat that saved me from discovery, but it was nowhere to be seen. I crossed the line of trees and saw the clearing, and there was a fresh pile of dirt and the shovel lying next to it. A small part of me was glad to have the physical labor to work out my frustration of my current situation. As I dug, I thought about the timeline of events leading to this point. My time in Indian Hill, the accident, my time in the hospital, and finally arriving in this place. There were still just a handful of memories to tie me back to my past, and not nearly enough to make my way. Then there was Oswald Cobblepot, a stranger that I had known in childhood. His name made me think of him; his appearance, his voice, his mannerisms, and his treatment of me. Suddenly, the blade of the shovel hit something hard.

I threw the tool to the side and got on my knees to look closer. That was a huge mistake. My face was suddenly hit with the same odor that was in the room, but now was stronger. I started coughing and covered my nose and mouth with my left hand in vain. It permeated my hand and gagged me even more, but I couldn't turn back now. I looked and then saw maggots, which further made me nauseous. Fighting my reflex, I kept looking and then saw what appeared to be dark brown hair…human hair. This made me cry out and quickly jump up, which made me lose my footing and made me fall backward to the ground. My stomach was then too strong to suppress any further and I flipped my body onto my knees. Then I started vomiting on the ground. _What the hell is going on?! _Finally, the nausea passed enough for me to get to my feet and run back toward the house.

When I went back inside, I slammed the door behind me and took the chance to catch my breath. Much like the night before, my heart started racing and my breath was labored. But unlike last night, my legs trembled and collapsed beneath me. As I sat on the hardwood floor, my thoughts became a whirlwind. _That…that was a head….a head…_ the nausea returned with this realization. _I have to get out of here… _I started to get back on my feet when I saw a large figure at the end of the hallway, Gabe. "You alright, Ms. J?" Now I was faced with another dilemma, _is Gabe in on this?_ _Should I make a break for it? Or should I play dumb for now? _ He finally reached me and examined me from head to foot and gave a long sigh. He must have seen the dirt from my digging, because he said with a voice full of resolution, "So…you found her, didn't you?"


	19. Chapter 19

My fight or flight instincts were emerging as the large man placed a gentle hand on my arm. "Come on…let's sit down…" He gently led me to the library and encouraged me to sit on the same chair as last night. A small part of my mind smiled at the pleasant memory, but it was quickly quashed as my current company sat in the chair opposite of mine. He took another deep breath and leaned forward toward me. "The boss told me that you might go snooping while he was gone." This statement made me self-conscious and a bit intimidated by Oswald's observational skills. "He asked me to fill you in if he wasn't around. You see…that was an old mummified head that the boss' old man had in his collection. It was…starting to go bad, you see."

I could tell that it was complete bull that this man was giving me. The stench was too strong for it to be a mummified anything, let alone a head. But I didn't blame Gabe for lying to me, he was just following orders. So, I decided to pretend that this answer was enough to satisfy me by flashing a relieved smile and placing a hand over my heart. He, in turn, smiled at me and gave me an encouraging tap on my shoulder when he stood up. "You are a good girl, you know that? All the boys and I love ya, you know?" I looked up at him and his eyes were sincere. Gabe then left me alone in the library to reflect on my situation once more.

That phrase, 'good girl' struck me with nostalgia. When hearing it again in my mind, it wasn't Gabe saying it; it was the man from my nightmare, laughing at me. This renewed my resolution that I needed to get answers. _I have to get to Arkham…_ Inspiration suddenly struck me and I ran to get a pen and notepad from my nightstand.

_Half an hour later_

"You sure about this Ms. J?" Gabe asked me as he put the car in park outside Arkham Asylum. The large building didn't give me any sense of nostalgia, further confusing me. I knew that Dr. Strange worked at both Arkham Asylum and Indian Hill, so why didn't I remember coming to this place? _It doesn't matter, it's a place to start_. I nodded to Gabe, and fortunately, we didn't see Oswald or Butch. I knew that I had to hurry to avoid running into them, so I got out of the car and walked toward the building with the large man right behind me. The front desk worker was told by Gabe that we were there to see Edward Nygma. To which she said, "That's strange, there's already someone here for him. You'll have to wait till they're done, only one visitor allowed at a time." This was perfect for my plan, so I nodded in agreement; causing the worker to look at me with a scrutinizing glare. But it was short lived, because she got back to typing on her computer.

I went to sit in one of the chairs lining the wall of the large room. As I sat for a moment, I examined my surroundings. The building was obviously very old and worn down with years of neglect. The walls, floor, and the furniture were filthy, and the equipment seemed to barely be held together. But the one thing in the place that was functioning properly were the gates that separated the general populous from the inmates. A few moments passed and I overheard a radio with a man's voice saying, "Okay, Nygma's visitor is on his way out…" _Now's my chance_… I covered my mouth with my hand and used my voice to simulate the voice continuing, "Go ahead and send the next one in…" Much like a ventriloquist, the voice was thrown to the radio, completing the illusion. The desk clerk gave a strange look, but shrugged her shoulders as she pressed a button, opening the gate. "Alright, you can go now. Take a left through the gate, then go to the end of the hall and take a right. From there take another right and there will be another gate, the guard will meet you there and accompany you to the inmate. Please do not wander the corridors, please do not provoke the inmates; do you understand?" Despite me nodding, she didn't even look at me to confirm it. Instead she waved her hand in dismissal and we walked through the gate.

I knew that I had to act fast in order to avoid seeing Oswald in the hallway. As our steps moved through the corridor, I could hear the screams and mutterings of the inmates all around us. I heard some jeering and catcalling as well, making me shutter. We reached the end of the hall, and I bent over suddenly, causing Gabe to stop. "Hey?" he said in concern, "Hey, Ms. J? You alright?" I put my hand over my mouth to act like I was going to be sick. "Oh God! Where's the bathroom?!" he yelled. When he didn't get an answer, he cursed under his breath. "Stay here Ms. J…I'm going to find out where the bathroom is, okay?" He walked quickly away from me toward where the guard was supposed to be. _Now's my chance_… I thought, and I quickly ran down the opposite direction from Gabe.

As I ran, the inmates' commotion increased, causing their noise to cover my footsteps. I turned a corner and saw another hallway, but there was a frame on the wall showing a floor plan. While examining it, I saw the maze-like layout of the floor that we were on, and suddenly I saw what looked to be an independent room that was fairly larger and memorized the route quickly as I heard "Ms. J?! Ms. J?! Where did you go?!" My feet ran and soon enough I found the room, there was a desk in the middle of the office that caused me to gasp with recognition. I suddenly remembered sitting in the chair in front of Dr. Strange as he spoke to me. Then, the feeling of a long needle in my neck was felt as I wept. Returning to the present, I rushed to the desk and started searching through folders. I knew that I was running out of time and getting more frustrated the longer I looked. My anger came out all at once and I slammed my fists on the desk, causing a small click to sound.

This caused me to pause, and I found the source of the noise. There was a small compartment that had opened under the desk, causing a small drawer to open. My hand pulled it out and there was a small tape labeled, "Felicity James – Subject 0581". Elation swept through me as I picked up the tape and placed it in my purse. I quickly closed the compartment and returned the files on the desk. _Now to get back_… I poked my head out through the opening to see if the coast was clear. I heard more commotion and Gabe's voice, as well as Oswald's calling out to me. _If I can get to the bathroom, I'll be able to get out of trouble. _Fortunately, I also made mental note of the location of the restrooms on the floor plan, so I was able to find my way. But I heard someone in the hallway that I was headed to, blocking my path. I hid around the corner and peeked quickly to assess who it was. It was a guard with a radio on his belt. _Perfect_…I said to myself as I hid again. "I found her!" I used my voice to say from the radio, "She's on the south hallway, over." I heard the guard say to himself, "Over? What is this an old war movie?" This caused me to curse myself for making that mistake, but fortunately he still left my path and I was able to get to the women's bathroom.

_It worked! I can't believe it worked!_ I said to myself as I used the sink to rub water on my face. I had to make myself calm down and not smile for a moment. Once I was able to control my face, I took a deep breath and opened the door. It took me a few moments to find that same guard, and I was able to convince him by my body language that I had just been sick. He took the radio and said, "Hey, I found her. She wasn't in the south hallway, Artie! She was in the bathroom. How about you get your eyes checked!" The man on the radio responded, "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't say nothing about the south hallway!" "Whatever," the guard responded, "I'm bringing her to the lobby. Tell the other visitors to meet her there." "Roger that…" This response caused the guard to roll his eyes and he used his hand to hold my arm, accompanying me back the way I came. We reached the last long hallway and I saw Gabe, Butch, and Oswald as they were arguing back and forth. Once we got through the gate, it slammed behind us and caused the men to stop and look at me.

"Fee! What are you doing here!?" Oswald said as he hobbled to me quickly. He placed his gloved hands on my arms and held them firmly as his face came close to mine. His voice was firm and his frown was severe as he lectured, "I told you to stay at home, didn't I? It's not safe here!" I allowed my previous discovery and the intensity of Oswald's anger take over my emotions and tears began to fall down my face. This caused him to freeze and release me. I lowered my head to hide the emotion and to break our eye contact. His touch was again on my arms, but this time more gently. "Fee….don't cry….I'm sorry…you just scared me…" I felt his gloved hands cup my face, bringing it back to eye contact level and he used his thumbs to wipe the tears away from my cheeks.

"Come here…" he whispered as he embraced me. His cologne filled my nostrils and his warmth permeated me. But a chill couldn't quite be quenched, that of doubt. _What is he hiding?_ I asked myself as I felt his hand pet my head as he shushed. After a moment, he released me and said, "Let's talk about this at home, okay?" I nodded and he kissed my cheek. He turned to the other men and said, "Let's go." We left the building and I took a moment to look behind me. In one of the windows, I saw a familiar face looking at me. It was the bespectacled man from before, his tall stature framed by the window. I quickly looked away from him and hoped that he didn't recognize me. _If he tells Oswald before I regain my memories, who knows what'll happen. Especially after my discovery…_


	20. Chapter 20

Little was said during the car ride home. I could tell that Oswald was still vexed with me, but the fact that I was able to accomplish my mission kept my spirits high. But I maintained the body language of being ashamed in order to keep him from being suspicious. _Now I have to find a way to play the tape…once I do that, things will be much easier._ Finally, the silence was broken when the car pulled into the manor's driveway. "Please get changed for dinner. We'll talk then." I was glad to leave the tense space and have a little time to myself. When I closed the door behind me, I gave a sigh of relief and started dancing with excitement. I took the tape out of the purse and examined it closely, fortunately it didn't look damaged or to warped so I was confident that whatever was on the tape would be easily understood.

A thought crossed my mind before long, _Oswald can't find this…. it'll ruin everything. _So, I walked around the room to try to find a good hiding spot. I now knew that he wasn't one to respect privacy, so I had to take extra care. I noticed that there was a tissue box in the restroom that was very plain compared to the rest of the décor in the room. I took out some tissues and stuck the tape inside, then I replaced the tissues and returned it to its place. With a satisfied sigh, I walked toward the closet to pick out a dress for dinner when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find several boxes in front of me. I stepped back and the boxes moved inside, followed by another stack. They were carried by a couple of Oswald's men. They placed the boxes on the bed and each of the men muttered, "Ms. J…" as they left the room. Once I was alone again, I opened one of the boxes and saw a familiar piece of fabric. I smiled and opened other boxes.

_An hour later_

The dress that I chose was a forest green floor length gown with thin straps crossing in the back. Despite the price tag, I felt quite nice in it, especially in shoes. I still felt a little dread in the upcoming encounter, but now there was hope and the dress gave confidence for some reason. Music was permeating the house as I descended the stairs, it gave me a sense of calm despite my situation. I walked into the dining room and much like the night before, there was a generous spread of food on the table and the room was lit by the fire in the hearth at the far side of the room. I saw the source of the music was a gramophone in the corner of the room. The instrument fascinated me, so I went over to it and examined it closely. The large golden horn reminded me of a flower that I saw in a book once, the large hole surrounded by metallic petals tempted me to touch it.

"It's nice isn't it?" Oswald's voice made me jump like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I stepped away from it as he limped toward me. "A member of my clientele heard that you had returned and sent it as a gift. They saw you at the benefit and were quite moved." _Benefit?_ He chuckled a little under his breath, "I hope that you get your voice back soon so that you can sing for me again." _So I was a singer…_ "Now…let's eat and we can discuss matters." I felt like a teenager about to get lectured by their parent, and this annoyed me. We both sat and began to eat. This meal reminded me of the previous, but this time Oswald wasn't speaking. After a few bites, he finally asked, "So…It looks like Meredith did her job well. Your gown is lovely, Fee."

I nodded as I took another bite. I looked up and saw him examining me, his look caused me to feel exposed and I wanted to hide for some reason. "You're blushing again…" this made him chuckle again and annoyed me even more. He must have noticed this and apologized. We finally finished the meal and he popped up quickly to walk to my side of the table. He offered his hand and said, "Shall we dance?" This phrase was familiar and gave me a feeling of delight for some reason. I took his hand and he led me to the open space of the room next to the gramophone. Oswald placed his other hand on my waist gently and we started to sway to the music.

After a few moments, he cleared his throat and started to speak again, "Fee…why did you go to Arkham after I told you not to?" His blue eyes pierced mine and I again wanted to hide, but with him holding me there was nowhere I could go. "You may not understand, but I only want what's best for you…I already lost you once." With this phrase, he squeezed my hand. "I can't lose you again, Fee…" This statement was endearing, but it also felt constricting; like a cage was closing in on me and the man in my arms had the key. This was not comforting, so I decided to speak. I croaked, "Oswald…thank you, but I am an adult." "Of course you are!" he said quickly to back track, "It's just that, you have no idea how dangerous this city is…I mean, just look at what happened to you within just a few months! Kidnapped three times…assaulted…" As he spoke, my mind started being bombarded with flashes of memories. A jumble of fear, anger, pain, and confusion flooded me all at once.

This caused an acute pain to pierce me from behind my eyes making me wince unconsciously. "Fee? What's wrong?" "I'm fine…" I croaked as I shook my head to try to re-focus on the moment. "You're lying, something's wrong…Sit down…" he led me to one of the cushioned chairs nearby and despite my efforts, I couldn't stop the carnival ride that was in full swing in my skull. Next thing I knew, darkness washed over me.


	21. Chapter 21

I felt a cool cloth on my head, it did little to ease my headache. I woke up to find Oswald leaning over me, his eyes full of worry and a smile appearing now that my eyes were opening. "Fee..." I tried to raise myself up, but I felt his hands holding me down firmly. "No...no... just stay there. You passed out and I've called a doctor, he should be here any minute now..." I wanted to object, but knew that there was no arguing with him on this issue. For now, I leaned back on the sofa that I somehow ended up on. I assumed that either Butch or Gabe brought me to this spot, since I knew that there was no way that Oswald would be able to carry my weight, let alone my dead weight. As if on cue, Butch said, "Doc's here, Boss." "What took you so long?" he asked with an annoyed tone. An older man with short silver hair and glasses knelt beside me and took my vital signs without a word. He then felt the sides of my jawline and flashed a light in my eyes. After this, he started asking questions.

"So, can you tell me your name? What city are you in? What day is it?" I was grateful that the questions that he asked were not too difficult for me to answer with my limited memory, so I croaked the answers. "Alright, Ms. James, can you tell me what happened before you lost consciousness?" Oswald decided to chime in, "We had just finished our meal and we were dancing..." "Forgive me, Mr. Cobblepot but I was asking Ms. James." I looked at Oswald and saw his face contort to that of indignance, and he responded with a menacing tone, "Tread carefully doctor... Don't forget that your practice owes a substantial..." "Yes, Mr. Cobblepot," the older man interrupted, "I am well aware of your position. However, if you would like for me to give an accurate diagnosis, I need to get the information from her. If necessary, I will ask for your input, but for now please allow me to continue my examination." This obviously vexed the well-dressed man from the look in his eyes and the distinct tension in his frame. "Very well..." he snapped, "but be quick about it..." After a second of silence, the older man spoke again, "Alone, if you please..." Oswald clenched his jaw and snapped again, "Fine..." Then he aggressively limped out of the room, Butch following behind him.

After the two left the room, the doctor whispered to me, "I must admit, that was quite satisfying..." He smiled at me, which was contagious in the moment. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. So, can you tell me what happened? I know it must be difficult with that sore throat of yours...Have you been ill long?" As tempted as I was to confide in this person, I knew from his interaction with Oswald that I couldn't without being revealed. So, I told him with my gravelly voice that I just felt ill that evening. "Hmm..." Even without knowing who he was, I could tell that he didn't believe my story. "Well, Ms. James; you have no fever, your pulse is normal, and I don't see anything worthy of alarm. I believe that you just stood up too fast or something. So for now, I would recommend a good night's sleep and if you feel ill in the morning, just give me a call." He stood up and shook my hand before leaving the room.

I heard the men discussing in the hallway, though it was too muddled for me to hear the words. I took the opportunity to sit up, despite the ache in my head. Like when I woke up in Indian Hill, I wanted to get on my feet as soon as possible. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I stood up, and then noticed that my shoes were off. This made me smile, and I didn't bother to put them back on. I stepped into the hallway and saw the doctor leave the front door with Oswald and Butch watching him leave. "He's got some guts, that doc..." Butch said with a slight admiration in his voice. "Shut up, Butch." Oswald hissed, then he turned and saw me. "Fee! What are you doing up? You need to lie down!" I shook my head and put my hands up to try to calm him down. When he was close enough, I said, "I'm okay, really... thank you..." He shook his head, like I was trying his patience. "Were you always this stubborn?" he asked with a smile. Part of me was worried that I may have given something away, but since he was smiling, I returned the sentiment.

_The next day_

The Gotham Public Library loomed above me as the car eased to a stop. I was able to get a ride from one of Oswald's employees after Oswald left for some business. With the tape safely in my purse, I was more than eager to get inside and use a tape player. Although I preferred to be alone, Oswald instructed one of his men to accompany me. After renting a tape and a player from the media desk, I was able to find a study room that was unoccupied. So I asked my companion to wait outside. The room was not decorated at all, but felt like a small interrogation room with just a table, chair, and a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. Despite this, my spirits were high. _This should make my life much less complicated..._I pulled the tape out of my purse, and placed it in the player. With a deep breath, I pressed play.

After a few seconds of silence, I heard a scuffling from the speaker; like it was being handled roughly. Then I heard a woman singing some classical piece. I felt the tingling of recognition for the song and I said to myself, _Maybe that's me...Oswald did that I was a singer..._ The tone was rich and strong, seeming to ring through an open space from the sound of the echoes. After the song was over, the applause caused the sound to warp and suddenly it cut off. After another few seconds, sound came to life again in the tape; this time it was a whisper, saying, "This is the base line for Felicity James voice sample." It was a deep man's voice, and then the same scuffling happened again. There were muffled voices and then there were a couple of voices that were louder than the others. The first one said, "I am Theo Gallavan" and the deeper man's voice interrupted the other man by saying, "And I am Dr. Hugo Strange, the Chief of Psychiatry and director of Arkham Asylum. And may I just say that you have a superb voice! Never had I heard such a talent, and right here in Gotham!" A moment of relative silence, and then Gallavan asked, "Is this club yours, Ms. James?"

_Finally!_ My anticipation was at its peak when a woman replied to the question. To help me concentrate on the voice, I closed my eyes. When doing so, suddenly my mind was transported to that moment, I saw people conversing all around with a tall man and Dr. Strange in front of me. I heard my voice answering his question, "No, Mr. Oswald Cobblepot is the owner of this club. He and I are childhood friends and he's been generous enough to provide the facility for this benefit tonight." The conversation continued with Gallavan asking several questions regarding Oswald, and I could hear my own voice becoming slightly more tense the longer the conversation went. Then, I heard, "Please excuse me, gentlemen, but the intermission is almost over." They both gave affirmative responses and then I heard the two men start to converse with each other with low tones. "She's perfect..." Strange's deep tone muttered. "Are you certain, doctor? She seems rather ordinary to me." Gallavan replied. "Yes, absolutely...I can unlock such potential in her..." The sound suddenly cut off again.

I could feel goosebumps start to form on my arms after hearing the conversation between Strange and Gallavan, but I would soon hear something more chilling. The tape came to life again with the sound of scuffling. When that sound ended, I then heard the doctor's voice again saying, "Ms. James!" I then heard my voice, with a slight roughness reply, "Dr. Strange, thank you for allowing me to shower. I feel much better." I followed the conversation, my nerves tightening with each minute that passed, till finally I heard myself screaming in the recording, with my cries dying slowly and the doctor saying, "When you wake up...you'll be a new woman..." The recording cut off from there and when it continued, I was met with the tests that I underwent at Indian Hill. I turned off the player since those memories were all too clear to me. The silence that followed the click of the button lasted for a couple of moments, but then my emotions caught up with me. First there was relief at finally having my voice returned to me, but then anger at what had transpired prior to Indian Hill. _He...he used me... for his sick pleasure..._ This thought made me stand and start to pace the floor of the small space. I then took out the tape and placed it in my purse again.

_An hour later_

In order to throw off suspicion, I checked out a couple of books that I didn't think would be in the Van Dahl library to justify my trip to Gotham Public Library. As for the tape, it felt like it was burning a hole through my bag and would be discovered. But fortunately, that was just my imagination. As excited as I was that I could speak normally again, I knew that I had to maintain the act of a lost voice for a little longer to keep it convincing. But I felt free to have a 'speedy recovery'. We returned to the manor and I ran up the stairs, further disproving the thought that I was somehow still weak or inebriated. I reached my room and took out the tape again. I examined the label with my name and the subject number written with a permanent marker by someone with scratchy handwriting. I imagined that Dr. Strange wrote the label with a toothy grin on his face, and with that I began to see red. I couldn't wait to get rid of the small device, but there was no fire in the fireplace and I didn't know where I could find a hammer to smash it.

Although I didn't think that Oswald would stoop to digging through the trash, I couldn't trust that Olga or one of his associates would find it and get curious. Therefore, I decided to bury it along with the head that I found in the back yard. Although the last thing I wanted to do is return to that gruesome site, I thought that it was the one place that he wouldn't want to return to. I would have to wait till he was asleep so that I wouldn't be discovered. With that decision made, there was still the matter of my memories. Although a few more were recovered; I still had many blank books in my mental library. One of the books that I found in the library was titled, "Unlocking the Mind: A Journey to the Past, so that it May Lead to your Future." _Maybe I can get an idea from here. If I'm going to stay here, he can't see this book. He said that he loved me, and I want to know how I feel about him..._


	22. Chapter 22

_That night_

Thunder rumbled in the distance as I looked out over the outside balcony. It was about one in the morning so I hoped that Oswald was fast asleep and that I would be able to bury the tape before being discovered. _If I can get out quickly, hopefully I'll beat the rain…_ The house was quiet as I crept down the stairs carrying my boots to avoid rousing anyone. I carefully opened the door and closed it behind me successfully without waking anyone. The night sky made the back lawn impossible to see. Fortunately, I thought of that and found a flashlight during the day. The beam of light allowed me to find the spot, although the rain started to fall making the job that much more difficult. The spot was just as I left it the day before; but with the rain falling, I was spared the foul odor and the head looked more like a dark prune with the soaked hair. Placing the flashlight on the ground, I took up the shovel once more and started digging the mud beside the head. After about two feet, I threw the tape in and started replacing the thick mud. After finishing my work, I decided to bury the head as well to avoid Oswald finding out my discovery.

I did my best to think of other things to avoid my nausea making a reappearance, without much success. But I was able to finish without being sick and picked up the flashlight once more. When I lifted it to find my way back to the house, I saw that there was a light coming from a room on the second floor. Gasping, I turned off my flashlight and ran to one of the trees for cover. _Oh God, what do I do now?_ The rain started pouring as I started shivering and waiting for the light to turn off. Finally, I saw darkness once more, but I didn't want to risk the flashlight again. A couple of lightning flashes were enough for me to find my way back to the back porch. Once I was under the shelter of the manor again, I took off my coat and boots. I waited for thunder to rumble before I opened the door. I closed the door behind me, and saw a towel draped on the railing of the staircase. This caused me to look around with paranoia, but I didn't see anyone, so I left the towel there and quickly went back up to my room. Fortunately, the coast was clear and I was able to shower and get into bed without hearing anything.

_The next morning_

_Just act like nothing happened..._I told myself..._keep it together..._ I descended the stairs in a white tea dress with large violet roses printed on it. The towel was now gone from the end of the banister, which I hoped was attributed to the thoroughness of Olga and not to Oswald. "I'm telling you, boss..." Gabe's voice said on the other side of the wall from where I was standing, "Ms. James isn't naïve. She's going to figure it out sooner or later, so..." "I'm well aware, Gabe. I don't need you to tell me." I heard Oswald respond with a tone of either planning or worry. This conversation made goosebumps appear on my arms. "I'll take care of it..." he said more quietly. This phrase made my heart pound and sweat start to form on my forehead. _I'm dead...he's going to kill me..._ I ran back upstairs as quietly as I could and grabbed my purse, leaving behind the cell phone and credit cards that he gave me. _He can't find me_. But I did keep the cash so that I could find somewhere to stay in the meantime. _I'll send him the money back once I've found a job or something. _

I was about to run when something in my mind told me to leave a note. After all, he did give me shelter when I had nowhere to go. So, I wrote the following words on the notepad that I would be leaving behind:

_Dear Oswald, _

_I'm sorry for leaving so quickly, but I have overstayed my welcome. Thank you for allowing me to stay in your beautiful home. Even though I didn't get to tell you goodbye, I appreciate everything you have done for me. I can't tell you why I am leaving but know that it's for the best. Please don't look for me, I have some things to work out before I see you again. __I promise to repay the money that I took as soon as I can.__ Please forgive me._

_Sincerely,_

_Fee_

I threw the notepad on the bed and quickly changed to casual clothes, jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt. The door was locked so I prayed that no one would try to come in before I left. I went out on the balcony and saw that there was a small gap between the edge of the railing and a climbable part of the stone wall. With some near slips and sore hands, I made it to the ground eventually. I creeped around the manor carefully so that I wouldn't be seen. _Should I wait till he drives away? Or should I just sneak through the woods?_ Since I had no idea what his schedule would be that day, I decided that I needed to sneak through the woods. Thankfully, Oswald didn't have a patrol around the estate, otherwise I would have a much harder time getting away.

There were woods dense enough for me to stay relatively hidden, but not so thick that I couldn't tell which direction I was headed. My past self must have known a few tricks, because I knew that I had to travel west to head toward Gotham City. And I knew that I needed to stay in Gotham to find my answers. As my boots traversed the uneven terrain, I thought about my next course of action. _I may need to change my appearance, if Oswald has connections in the city; it may not be long till he catches up with me. I also need to find somewhere to live in the meantime… _Though I was out of sight of the road; I heard a car approaching and I quickly got on the ground. It felt like I was in an old war movie and that I was behind enemy lines, trying to get back to base. I expected to hear someone calling my name like a lost pet, but fortunately the car kept driving and I knew that I was in the clear.

It felt like I had been hiking for hours when I finally reached a small store near a gas station. The man behind the counter was pre-occupied with reading his newspaper and didn't pay me any mind as I walked in. I decided to use bleach, so it would be sure to cover my brown hair. I also grabbed some snacks and a water bottle. After paying the man, I asked to use the bathroom. He handed me a key and I went back to use the sink to bleach my hair. It took a while, but eventually saw a different person in the mirror. I started to braid my hair when I heard voices through the thin walls, "Hey Dale! How's it hanging?" I recognized Butch's voice, causing my breath to suspend in my lungs. "So, have you seen this girl? She probably came by here alone with no car..." There was silence for a moment and then I heard the guy say, "Hmmm, nope. Haven't seen her..." "Look again Dale. It's important." "Again, I didn't see her." I could barely hear Butch mutter, "Damn it...Well, listen if you see her, Penguin's offering a thousand dollars to whoever can help us find her. Give me a call if you do, okay?" "Will do... don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

I heard the little bell of the door ring, but I didn't leave the bathroom for another few minutes. I left the room cautiously, hoping that Butch was gone. My hopes were realized when I didn't see any cars outside, and I thanked the store clerk while keeping my face pointed down. When I reached the door handle, I heard behind me, "Lay low, girl... The only reason that I didn't give you up is because that leprechaun offed my cousin a few weeks back. I won't ask you what's going on, but if that bounty goes up higher, I may change my mind." With this warning, I ran out. Another hour later, I had reached the Gotham Bridge. I had never felt so exposed before, so I ran across the steel structure as quickly as I could. _Once I get in the city, I'll be able to hide somewhere... _

Although I reached the other side of the bridge, it reached far into the city and I wanted to get off as soon as possible. Fortunately, I found a ladder that maintenance workers use that led to the bottom of the structure. Once my feet landed on concrete, I was able to take a deep breath. Though the air that I inhaled was far from fresh; instead it was tainted with cigarette smoke, the smell of rotting food, body odor, and many other unpleasant smells. _Guess I'll have to get used to it... But, what do I do now?_ Without a plan, I was forced to start walking and hope that I would find somewhere to stay till I came up with something. As my boots clopped on the pavement, it blended with so many other sounds; wailing sirens in the distance, yelling, honking, engines, thumping basses, whistles, and more. I dodged arguments, pushy vendors, and just general people walking.

Eventually I found a motel that I could afford for a few days with the money in my purse, with just enough left over for a few meals. When closing the door behind me, the feeling of dread that I had since starting my journey finally subsided and exhaustion pulled me to the bed. Compared to what I left; the mattress was a hard as a brick. _But it'll have to do for now…_

_The next morning_

As I left the motel the next morning, I tried my best to work out the kinks in my neck and shoulders without much success. Soon enough I was able to find some breakfast and then I found a subway entrance. I went down into the subway and stood next to the bottom of the stairs. _This is as good a place as any_… I placed a cup down, stood up straight and started to sing. I couldn't recall where I heard the music, but it was there in my mind and now echoed around me. Nerves were holding me as people kept walking by; till two people stopped to listen, then four, then six. After a song ended, some would put money in the cup and move on. I kept this up for a few hours, my voice never tiring or waiving. By the end of my time, there was enough money to support me for a few more days. _Maybe if I choose a different venue, I'll be able to earn more…_


	23. Chapter 23

_Six months later_

_It's been a long time coming...but I've finally done it. _My daily routine of singing in public places allowed me to earn enough money to not only pay for my basic necessities, but also to pay back the money that I took from Oswald. Therefore, I went by a bank to convert the cash to a check and then mail it to Van Dahl manor. I included another letter to assure him of my safety and that I still cared for him. A cynical side of me chastised me for not allowing him to forget me and move on, but I couldn't help it. It was strange, I was certain that if he found me that he would kill me, but despite that knowledge I still missed him. But I couldn't risk going back yet. Not till I recovered all my memories. That task was proving impossible, even with the books that I read. I knew that I couldn't afford a therapist or psychologist at this point, so I was stuck. _If I knew where I lived before, that may help. _But again, I hit a dead end with that.

Though I had managed to be hired by various clubs and theatres for performances, my days were still spent performing on the streets. This afternoon I was performing in a park a short bus ride from my motel. I started gathering the money that I had just earned after my last song. Once I zipped up my purse, I looked up and saw a poster that caught my eye. It had a man with long, dark, wavy hair and wearing a top hat; which struck me as unusual in this city. His image was staring intensely while he was holding up a pocket watch next to his face. The poster said, "Come see Jervis Tetch! World famous hypnotist! Watch him unlock the mind!" This last statement piqued my interest. _Maybe I should ask him if he can help me._ I made a mental note about where he was performing for the next several nights, and I started walking toward the bus stop.

My path was well populated, but I still had a strange feeling. As I walked, the sensation of someone watching me was overwhelming. I was again feeling the anxiety of my first day in the Narrows and I started walking faster. My ears strained to hear if I was being followed but with the noise of the city, it was impossible to tell. I turned into an alley to cut through, hoping to lose whoever was following me. But after walking halfway through, I suddenly felt a hand grasping my wrist. I screamed, causing whoever was behind me to yell in pain before collapsing. I also heard shattering glass all around me. Immediately after, I heard a mixture of screams, yells, and expletives. I turned around and saw a thin, sallow man with filthy oversized clothes. Blood was pouring out of his ears, causing me to gasp and cry out. His face was frozen with a look of shock, his mouth gaping open and his eyes bulging out. I was afraid to touch him, and I started to retreat when I heard someone yell, "Hey!"

I looked up and saw a woman yelling, "What? What happened here? Are you okay?" I didn't stick around long enough to answer her. I started running back out of the alley, dodging her as she quickly stepped out of my way. In that moment, I couldn't even focus on where I was going. My feet pounded on the pavement, my lungs were burning, and my mind was whirling. Everything was a blur as I dodged traffic, countless people, trashcans and lamp posts. As I continued to run, my thoughts kept rotating between: _I killed him, he's dead, what have I done? What do I do now? Oh God I'm a monster_! This last thought made tears cloud my vision. Finally, my legs gave out on me and I fell to the ground. I barely heard the comments around me reacting to my fall as I fought to catch my breath. After a few moments, I finally lifted my head to see where I ended up.

A large building towered above me with a large sign lit with thousands of small bulbs reading 'The Grand'. As I pulled myself up off the ground, I couldn't help but wince at the pain on my kneecaps and my hands. The name of the building reminded me of the flyer I saw earlier featuring the hypnotist. _What are the odds?_ I asked myself as I tried to wipe dirt off my clothes to make myself look more presentable before entering. As I walked into the lobby of the hotel, I saw another copy of the poster from earlier. The man's face looked intense and mysterious, causing me to be curious and cautious at the same time. _He may be my best chance_, I told myself as I got into the elevator.

_Half an hour later_

The room in which the performance would be held was quite stately and made me feel quite underdressed, but I wasn't there to impress anyone but to talk to Mr. Tetch after the show. I got a water from the bartender and did my best to disappear in the crowd. At this point, the show was finally beginning with the hypnotist stepping out on the stage and introducing himself in a grandiose manner. His suit stood out from the checkered pattern and his mismatched tie brought attention to his thin face. His eyes surveyed the room and he picked out several volunteers, all of whom he was able to thoroughly embarrass without their knowledge. It seemed harmless and provided laughter throughout the room. I, however, couldn't find the humor in it. For some reason, I found the whole thing rather disturbing. So I hoped that it was just staged and not real. _Then why are you here? It has to be real if you want to get your memories back_, the cynical part of my mind reminded me.After a few more displays of his skills, he brought a man to the stage and made him stand on the back of a chair in a death-defying display. I gasped and reached toward him unconsciously to stop him from hurting himself. This seemed to catch Mr. Tetch's attention and he smiled at me, causing me to wish I could disappear. _Maybe this isn't such a good idea…_ I thought, _but what choice to I have? I can't wait any longer. I need to get my life back._

_Afterwards_

Once the performance ended, I asked the host to direct me to Mr. Tetch. Though he looked at me with skepticism, he obliged with my request and led me to his dressing room. After knocking, the occupant requested that we enter. "Ah!" Mr. Tetch exclaimed with enthusiasm, "Please, come in, come in!" The host left and the hypnotist encouraged me to sit in a chair next to a small table. We introduced ourselves and I noticed that the table had a nice tea set and said so. He smiled and offered me a cup. The china was quite elegant and gave me a sense of comfort that seemed to sooth my heart. "I hope that you like Earl Grey, I find that it does wonders for the soul after a hard evening's work." He chuckled at his joke as he poured from the matching teapot. Once we both settled in our seats, he asked me why I wanted to see him. "Thank you for seeing me unexpectedly, Mr. Tetch," I began, "I apologize for taking up your time, but I hope that you can help me." He sat back in his chair and replied, "Well, I don't know how a humble performer such as myself could possibly help you. But, if you'll tell me your situation, I'm sure that I can give it a try."

_Half an hour later_

During my story, the man before me seemed rather disinterested until the words 'Indian Hill' crossed my lips. After this, he seemed to devour every word and once I finished, he put down his cup and clapped his hands together with enthusiasm. "Very good, I will be more than happy to help you. But I do have one question, before we begin… Do you happen to remember a young lady with blonde, curly hair named Alice? She's my sister and I'm very worried about her." He reached into one of his vest pockets and pulled out a photo. As I examined it, I noted that they both had similar features. But the name and the description weren't familiar to me at all. For the sake of repayment, I took a moment to search the library of my mind. However, it was in vain. Therefore, I was forced to admit that I didn't recall this person. His face seemed to deflate a bit upon hearing my answer, but then he forced himself to smile once again and said, "Well, perhaps she'll climb out of the looking glass soon enough…"

"Now…let us begin." He reached into the pocket of his vest and brought out the same pocket watch. The face of it looked rather elaborate, like a starburst in the center surrounded by miniature mirrors in a circular pattern. If I knew him better, I would have asked if I could examine it closer. However, before I could do so, he said, "Listen to the watch, the way it's ticking synchronizes with your heartbeat…" I followed his instructions, and indeed I could feel my heart slow down to match the ticks. He then continued, "Look into my eyes…" They were a deep brown, much like melted chocolate. "Not above them, not around them…but deep into their center…" Much to my disbelief, their pupils started to grow until they completely eclipsed the irises. I couldn't even see light reflected in them; their darkness seemed to continue to grow till I was surrounded in an empty void. The miniscule ticking grew into a gong in my head, but instead of wincing from the volume, it felt like a cocoon enveloping my entire being.

"Now…let's begin…" I heard his voice say like a whisper in my ear. "Your mind is a pool of water. Now dip your toe in the water, your feet, now your legs…" The longer he spoke, the higher the water seemed to reach up my body. Eventually, the imagery reached above my head, and just when I thought that I couldn't sink any deeper, the sky seemed to reach a mile above me and the depth pressed into not only my skin, but every atom in my entire being. Instead of flashes of memories, my past became reality to me. My childhood, my teenage years, college, my family, friends, everything came back to me. As much as I wanted to celebrate, the darkness wouldn't allow anything to come to the surface. Fear started to grow in my heart as I heard Tetch's whispers again, "Now…You're back at Indian Hill. Every face is before you. Find Alice." The faces appeared one-by-one in front of my eyes. They came slowly at first, then faster and faster. Eventually they came so quickly that they blurred into a monstrous animated mask that opened its mouth wider and wider to swallow me whole.

"Do you see her? Do you see my Alice?" his voice strained intensely in my ear. My mouth formed the word "No…" without my control. "Damn…" I heard him breathe. "Well, there's more than one way to skin a cat…You and Alice…" He pointed at the photograph in my hand and my mind memorized its image instantly, "Are the closest of friends…you met while at Indian Hill and you've been separated. Now you long to find her and reunite her with me. Once you see her," he continued, "You will call me and tell me her location." "Yes…" I replied, again without my control. "Very good. Now, when I snap my fingers, you will awaken. One, Two, Three." He snapped his fingers which sounded like a shotgun blast to my ears, causing me to jump. "Well, Ms. James, tell me how you feel." Where previously recovering memories would be difficult and sometimes painful, I was now able to see my past. I saw my family, Ozzie, my students, Maroni… This caused me to feel a twinge of emotion and I was suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude. I nodded and took his hands into mine, "Thank you Mr. Tetch! Thank you!" "Please," he replied, "call me Jervis. After all, you and my sister are close friends, are you not?" he said with a grin.


	24. Chapter 24

As I left the Grand, my heart was exhilarated and I was eager to gather my things so that I could go back to my old life. I took the bus and returned to the motel to start packing. Though I had been there for six months, I hadn't accumulated many things and just had enough clothes to fill a backpack. As I zipped it up, my mind suddenly went back to the alley earlier that afternoon. I again saw the stranger in the alley, his face frozen in agony. Nausea suddenly overwhelmed me and I ran to the bathroom to be sick. After brushing my teeth, I looked at my own reflection in the dirty, cracked mirror. As I examined my own face, tears left trails down my cheeks. I whispered, "Murderer...Murderer...Murderer!" When I screamed, the glass shattered before me and I felt tiny cuts all over my face. But I closed my eyes, so they were unscathed. I didn't bother to clean up the mess, instead I pulled the small pieces of glass out of my flesh.

_An hour later_

I threw a couple of letters in the mailbox outside of the post office closest to the GCPD. _This'll be the last ones for a while..._ I told myself. I wrote to Ozzie, to my parents, and my brother. In the letters to my family, I told my entire story. From the time that I was with Ozzie till now. I confessed all of my sins and begged for them to forgive me. As for Oswald's letter, I confessed that I had lost my memory before our time together, but couldn't bring myself to admit that I came from Indian Hill. _Guess I can add the title of coward to myself as well..._ In it I apologized for causing him pain again and wished him happiness in life. I felt the sting of my tears running over the cuts of my face and after wiping it, saw some faint blood on my fingers and palm. I took a deep breath and started walking. I looked around me to take in my last night of freedom for the foreseeable future. A few months ago, my eyes would filter the negative sights and focus on the positive ones; but during that walk, I only saw the darkness. And when I finally reached the GCPD, I felt the cage closing in around me.

_Inside the GCPD_

The structure was intimidating with its lofted ceilings and abundance of steel and iron towering above and around the entire large room. I remembered the room from the last time I had been there. Except this time, I wasn't a victim but a perpetrator. _Who do I need to talk to?_ I asked myself as police officers were walking around, seated at their desks, and otherwise dealing with dangerous looking people and sobbing civilians. As I eased inside the foreboding space, the nerves in my stomach were awakened and the instinct to run was as strong as ever. But I took a deep breath and started to walk toward one of the nearest unoccupied officers when I was interrupted by a clearing throat beside me. "Excuse me..." I heard a familiar voice say, "Don't I know you? My God, what happened to your face?" I turned to see Detective Bullock before me, wearing the same fedora as the last time we met. I nodded, "Yes, sir. I'm Felicity James, I used to teach at Gotham Elementary when you and your partner..." He lifted his finger toward me and nodded with a face of recognition, "Yeah! You were jumped and we interviewed you about your ex and attacker...What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

I was genuinely touched by this man's concern for me, and felt my anxiety grow as I knew that I would soon be changed in his eyes. "Not really..." I said, lowering my gaze. "Detective...I... Something happened..." I could see his pale eyes soften and he lowered his voice to a soothing tone as he said, "Oh...okay, do you want to talk out here? Or..." "Hey Bullock!" I heard a powerful, masculine voice yelled from the raised office on the side of the room. I saw a large, stock, bald man wearing a suit with an icy, stern gaze. "There's been a homicide in the Narrows. Get down there and canvas the area!" "Okay, Cap, just give me a minute..." "Now Bullock! They said that the guy's cause of death wasn't like anything they've seen before." "Damn it..." the detective breathed as the captain returned to his office. "I'm sorry, Ms. James, but I have to go." He went to put on his coat, and with his retreating back leaving the GCPD, my limited courage went with him. Another police officer asked if I needed anything, I rejected her offer and left quickly.

_A couple of hours later_

Cursing myself for my cowardice, I checked into a new motel probably a couple of miles from my previous location. I threw my backpack on the bed and then threw myself on the bed next to it. Looking at the peeling ceiling, I sighed in frustration and exhaustion. As much as I wanted to sleep, I knew that it wouldn't come easily. But there was nothing else for me to do but try, so I closed my eyes and tried to let go.


End file.
